Fast start propels Brewers to 9-3 victory over Cubs in NLDS opener

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jackson Chourio sparked Milwaukee's fast start at the plate, and Freddy Peralta delivered a steady performance on the mound.

The Brewers looked more than ready for October.

Chourio capped Milwaukee's six-run first inning with a two-run single, and the Brewers trounced the Chicago Cubs 9-3 on Saturday in Game 1 of their NL Division Series.

Hoping for a breakthrough after years of playoff frustration, Milwaukee showed off the same approach that helped the team roll to baseball's best record during the regular season. The Brewers ranked third in the majors in scoring this year despite finishing just 22nd in homers.

It was more of the same in the team's postseason opener. The NL Central champions had 13 hits and no home runs, while three solo drives accounted for Chicago's offense.

“The home runs are so important these days, (but) this is scrapping hits together, keeping the line moving, all the cliches that you can think of,” said Blake Perkins, who had two hits for the Brewers.

“It’s fun to be a part of, and I think we all build off of each other. I’m kind of sitting there, too, (thinking), like, 'Dang, how are we doing this?′ sometimes. It’s a cool feeling, and it’s really fun to be a part of.”

The only issue for the Brewers on Saturday was Chourio's right hamstring tightness. He departed in the second after becoming the first player with three hits in the first two innings of a playoff game.

Game 2 of the best-of-five series is on Monday night.

Chourio, who missed a month of the regular season with a strained right hamstring, underwent an MRI after the victory. Manager Pat Murphy said the injury “could be devastating,” while Chourio sounded much more optimistic.

“Physically I feel good, and I feel in a position where I’m ready to keep going and keep competing,” he said through an interpreter.

Staked to an early lead, Peralta permitted two runs in 5 2/3 innings. His nine strikeouts tied Don Sutton, Yovani Gallardo and Brandon Woodruff for the Brewers’ single-game playoff record.

Michael Busch, Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner homered for Chicago.

Brewers-Cubs games in Milwaukee generally have divided crowds because of all the people who make the 90-mile trip from Chicago, but that wasn’t the case Saturday. The vast majority of spectators were Brewers fans waving yellow towels and booing Cubs manager Craig Counsell.

“It didn’t seem 50/50, for sure,” Murphy said. “It felt like a home game. It definitely felt like a home game. They were difference makers.”

Counsell, who grew up in the Milwaukee area, is the winningest manager in Brewers history, but he left for Chicago after the 2023 season. He has been jeered whenever his name has been mentioned over the American Family Field loudspeaker since he departed.

Counsell’s decision to start Matthew Boyd on short rest didn’t work out. The All-Star left-hander was lifted with two out in the first.

The Brewers scored four runs or fewer in their last nine regular-season games. They had gone 2-11 in their last 13 playoff games, scoring over four runs in just one of those contests and failing to exceed five runs in any of them.

This time, they had six runs by the end of the first, matching their highest scoring playoff inning in franchise history.

After Busch opened the game with a 389-foot drive over the wall in right-center, Chourio, Brice Turang and William Contreras started the bottom half of the first with consecutive doubles.

“I made a few mistakes early," Boyd said. "A little too much plate to Turang and Contreras. It ends up being the difference in the game right there.”

Contreras scored from second when Hoerner mishandled a slow grounder from Sal Frelick. Perkins capped an 11-pitch at bat with a two-out RBI single to center.

Michael Soroka walked Joey Ortiz to load the bases and allowed a two-run single to Chourio.

“Bottom line, they had really good at-bats,” Counsell said. “They hit balls hard. They spoiled pitches. The Perkins at-bat was just a great at-bat. You’ve got to give him credit for that.”

Boyd had only three days of rest after throwing 58 pitches in the Cubs’ 3-1 Wild Card Series Game 1 victory over the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.

Milwaukee added three more runs in the second. Caleb Durbin delivered a two-run single before Chourio’s infield hit made it 9-1.

Chicago’s Aaron Civale, who started the season with Milwaukee, and Ben Brown combined for 6 1/3 innings of shutout relief.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Milwaukee Brewers players, from left, Brandon Lockridge, Blake Perkins and Sal Frelick celebrate defeating the Chicago Cubs 9-3 in Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Nick Mears (25) celebrates with Jake Bauers (9) after defeating the Chicago Cubs 9-3 in Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Milwaukee Brewers players high-five after defeating the Chicago Cubs 9-3 in Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Chicago Cubs' Michael Busch (29) high-fives teammates after hitting a home run during the first inning in Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Chicago Cubs, Pete Crow-Armstrong pops out during the third inning of Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) reacts to striking out a batter during the fifth inning in Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio hits an RBI single during the second inning of Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Chicago Cubs Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd watches as Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio hits a two-run scoring single during the first inning of Game 1 of baseball's National League Division Series Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

NEW DELHI (AP) — A fire ripped through a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, killing 25 people, including tourists, the state’s chief minister said Sunday.

The blaze occurred just past midnight in Arpora village in North Goa, a party hub, some 25 kilometers (15-miles) from the state capital, Panaji.

Goa’s Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said most of the dead were the club’s kitchen workers, as well as three to four tourists. Six people were injured and are in stable condition, he said. All the bodies have been recovered.

The fire was caused by a gas cylinder blast and has been extinguished, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting local police. However, witnesses told the agency that the fire began on the club’s first floor, where nearly 100 tourists were on the dance floor. Several rushed to the kitchen below in the chaos and got trapped along with staff, it said.

Fatima Shaikh said the commotion began as flames erupted, according to the news agency. “We rushed out of the club only to see that the entire structure was up in flames,” she said.

The nightclub, located along the Arpora River backwaters, had a narrow entry and exit that forced the firefighters to park their tankers about 400 meters (1,300 feet) away, delaying the efforts, the news agency said.

Sawant said the club had violated fire safety regulations. The state government ordered an inquiry to determine the exact cause of the fire and responsibility, he said, adding that authorities would act against the club management and officials who allowed it to operate despite the violations.

Local village council official Roshan Redkar told the news agency that authorities had earlier issued a demolition notice for the club, which didn't have construction permit from the government. But higher officials rolled back the order, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a social media post called the fire "deeply saddening# and said he spoke with Sawant. Modi said the government “is providing all possible assistance” while offering condolences to the victims’ families.

Accidents, particularly involving gas cylinders and electric short circuits, aren’t uncommon in India and often result in casualties, underlining the need for authorities to implement stringent safety protocols.

“This is not just an accident; it is a criminal failure of safety and governance,” Rahul Gandhi, a top leader of India’s main opposition Congress party, wrote in a social media post. He called for a transparent probe to "fix accountability and ensure such preventable tragedies don’t occur again.”

The western coastal state of Goa is one of India’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its sandy beaches.

The charred interiors of a nightclub, which caught fire early Sunday, are seen in Arpora, Goa, India, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo)