How Sal Frelick became Brewers' unlikely World Series hero with Game 2 blast: 'He has this edge about him'

Frelick delivered the swing of his life, a tying sixth-inning homer, as Milwaukee completed yet another postseason comeback

Oct 25, 2026 at 10:10 am ET • 4 min read

MILWAUKEE -- Ian Seymour kept testing Sal Frelick late Saturday night, almost dismissive of what the Brewers outfielder might be capable of producing.

But Frelick has never been one to shrink when his mettle is challenged. His competitive fire only burns hotter.

In the bottom of the sixth inning in Game 2 of the World Series, with the Brewers on the brink of erasing a four-run deficit for the second time this postseason, the lefthanded Rays reliever kept feeding Frelick fastballs.

All nine pitches of the at-bat, in fact. Alternating between two variations of the pitch for much of it. 

Sinker. Four-seam. Sinker. Four-seam. Sinker. Four-seam. Sinker. Four-seam.

"I'm an eight-hole hitter," Frelick said, detailing the number of fastballs he saw. "I'm a lefty. You have to assume a guy like that is coming at you."

Frelick kept fighting, just as he had his whole career. He fouled off half of the first eight pitches he saw and ultimately worked the count full.

Seymour became predictable, a creature of habit, not doubling up on the same pitch twice to that point. 

That was until the ninth pitch of the at-bat.

Seymour tested Frelick again, throwing a four-seamer for the second consecutive pitch, this one hanging over the inner third of the plate. Frelick didn't miss it, crushing a solo shot to tie the score at four apiece.

Bedlam ensued at American Family Field. Yellow towels twirled in unison throughout the stands. And as the stadium erupted, so did Frelick, rounding first base. He pointed toward his bullpen. They pointed back. Because for these Brewers, deficits have become invitations. Adversity only fuels the congregation.

Winning feels inevitable, as Milwaukee's 5-4 victory in Game 2 demonstrated.

Frelick, who'd hit just four regular-season home runs, didn't deliver the final blow. Cooper Pratt did. Yet he made certain the Brewers would have the chance to land it.

"He hit four lasers tonight," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. "He hit four balls right on the screws. We talked about it in pregame, he's got the 'it factor.'" 

The "it factor" that Murphy sees in Frelick was forged on the high school football field, where he earned Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a quarterback in 2017.

The "it factor" was cultivated on ice skates, in a state where hockey borders on religion.

The "it factor" was instilled by his father, Jeff, who played football at the University of Pittsburgh before injuries cut his career short.

The "it factor" was fortified through doubt. For all his accolades, Frelick still had to fight to be seen. At just 5-foot-8, he was accustomed to being overlooked.

"Everybody's built differently," Murphy said. "Everybody expresses it differently. I think that Sal was a young man that had very good physical skills, but he wasn't big in stature like a lot of these guys are. So, as a smaller guy, I think he always was having to prove how great he was. He has this edge about him that he believes in himself."

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It's an edge Murphy likened to longtime Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, whom he coached at Arizona State. Pedroia possessed physical gifts Frelick doesn't, but both share an insatiable desire to dominate, regardless of what their natural abilities suggest.

"Murph will tell you firsthand that it's never pretty watching me take a swing or run or field or whatever it might be," Frelick said. "I just always felt like that was where I was able to get my edge was just kind of turn everything into a competition. Put myself in the box and iso me and the pitcher. Or on defense, just iso me and the ball. How can I beat it?"

Maybe not the prettiest swing, but the prettiest of outcomes. A reminder of how October has a way of washing away the tribulations endured just to get there. How an entire regular season can be reduced to a footnote when a player delivers in the postseason.

Because Frelick's regular season was anything but memorable. He hit just .230 with a .614 OPS.

A right shoulder injury sidelined him for six weeks, costing him half of July and most of August. And when he returned, his role had diminished. Though the Brewers have long embraced platoons, Frelick found himself largely relegated to facing right-handed pitching.

Luis Lara, the 21-year-old prospect called up in July, had taken some of Frelick's playing time down the stretch. But Frelick didn't sulk. His focus only sharpened. His emotions, rarely on display, are encased in steel. He can take tough coaching.

In May, Murphy acknowledged he didn't tell Frelick he loved him enough. So he scribbled himself a reminder: Tell Sal, "I love you, Sal."

Then he thought better of it. Crossed it out.

"You know what? He doesn't need me to tell him that," Murphy said.

Beneath the humor was a truth: Frelick doesn't need constant reassurance. His competitiveness, his confidence, his unwavering sense of self -- all nurtured over time.

"It was great," Frelick said of his home run. "Like, sort of this blackout feeling. Then it kind of ends. We were tied. We weren't winning or anything."

The Brewers now have a chance to capture the first World Series championship in franchise history as the series shifts to Tropicana Field, where the Rays have been dominant, going 59-27 this season, including the postseason.

It will be another test for Milwaukee in a series decided by one run in the first two games. The Rays won't go quietly.

Yet at every turn, Milwaukee has answered the challenge.

And on Saturday night, Frelick answered his.

Because as leaves fall and flowers wilt, Frelick has bloomed.