Forget the World Series; the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs Game 5 is turning out to be more interesting than anything on the postseason stage. Brewers nearly thought they had the game in hand at first, but alas, here is a thing about baseball—it is never predictable. Forget games; things change in the blink of an eye in between innings. So the Cubs bounced back, and how—they both are headed to Game 5 now.

You’d think that Pat Murphy would do everything to ensure they go through the elimination game in one piece and get ready to face LA. Instead, he made a decision that’s absolutely shocking to the fanbase—he has named all-star closer Trevor Megill as the starter for the winner-take-all showdown at American Family Field.

It is surprising because the one name who was supposed to be starting was Jacob Misirowski, especially given that he was lights out in Game 2. But Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel confirmed the news on X: “Your Brewers opener for NLDS Game 5: Trevor Megill.” And this has the fanbase panicked.

Megill is a 31-year-old closer who has been dominant this season with a 2.49 ERA and 30 saves. But he has never been a traditional starter, right? And more so in such a high-stakes game. But for now, necessity is the name of the game, and that might just have driven the Milwaukee Brewers into the decision. It is going to be a bullpen-heavy plan where Megill opens, then rookie Jacob Misiorowski, who impressed everyone with three scoreless innings in Game 2, follows. And well, a lot of how the outcome will be depends on Misirowski and whether he would be able to take command in those middle innings. For the Milwaukee Brewers, this bullpen is definitely not a strength; it’s the backbone of a do-or-die strategy.

Milwaukee Brewers fans slam Trevor Megill’s start

“Overmanaging when the game hasn’t even started,” one fan wrote after hearing Trevor Megill would open Game 5. Sure, Megill has done it before, but that was after he became Milwaukee’s All-Star closer, right? The guy posted a 2.49 ERA and 30 saves this season. So Milwaukee fans are confused as to why Pat Murphy would shift him from a role that he has mastered to something else. Why mess with something that isn’t broken.

One fan didn’t hold back, posting, “So the Cubs win.” Brutal? Sure. But what would the team really do—Jacob Misirowski? Sure, he was confident for Game 5, saying, “It adds a little stress to the job. But you also get the adrenaline of, ‘Oh, s—, here it goes; this is it.’” However, he doesn’t seem to be cut out for the role, given he has struggled, and his post-All-Star 5.36 ERA just says that. For sure, he has shown flashes of awesome play, but insiders always questioned whether Miz is great for the role. And clearly the team didn’t think so either.

“Stop using openers! Use a real starting pitcher!” a Brewer fan practically screamed with the Trevor Megill news. But with Freddy Peralta and Quinn Priester struggling and Brandon Woodruff sidelined, the Brewers are short of strong arms. So, Murphy took a gamble on a bullpen-heavy plan. Now this is risky, given the stakes are high. Megill’s job is to survive the first innings and then let the bullpen take over. Every pitch carries weight, and if it doesn’t work, then Murphy would be put on a social media noose by the fans.

Screaming through the keyboard, it said, “Are YOU serious??!! They botched their rotation so badly and are so desperate that they have to start their CLOSER??!!  They’ve already lost before the game has even started.” That summarizes the consensus among the fans now—that’s disbelief. Tylor Megill has already pitched twice this series, and how he is opening feels desperate from the team’s end. The Chicago Cubs, on the other hand, have homered in the first inning of every game this series—so who says an early meltdown is not in the cards?

“The hell? Why not start Quintana? Murphy at this point is just trying to be the smartest guy in the room with some of these decisions,” claimed a fan. He echoed what half of Milwaukee might be thinking. Jose Oquintana has been solid since returning from the calf strain, and even then, Pat Murphy’s rolling with another plan. Moreover, on the opposite end is Drew Pomeranz, who is one of the top arms—and this only amps up the tension for the Milwaukee Brewers.