Baseball fans have been wondering just how far grit can take the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023. Despite pitfalls along the way and a poor finish to the regular season, they forged a path into the MLB playoffs. That alone makes the year a success, but this club continues to shatter expectations.

The D-backs pitted young Brandon Pfaadt against postseason dominator Corbin Burnes Tuesday night and were still somehow able to steal a 6-3 win from the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card round. There were heroes abound in Miller Park.

Rookie of the Year favorite Corbin Carroll picked up right where he left off in September (batted .311 with 11 multi-hit games in the month), going 2-for-3 with a historic two-run home run. Evan Longoria turned back the clock and made multiple key defensive plays. Catcher Gabriel Moreno hit the go-ahead blast in the fourth inning and Christian Walker sealed the deal with a back-breaking, two-run RBI double in the ninth.

But even with all those clutch performances, victory would not be attainable without a huge showing from the Diamondbacks' pitching reinforcements. “Our bullpen was the reason we won this game,” manager Torey Lovullo said, according to Drew Olson. “One after the other, they just came in and executed and did a great job.”

Pfaadt could not make it through the third inning, forcing Lovullo to turn to his pen early. Each hurler came through and maintained a sliver lead. Right-hander Kevin Ginkel was especially impressive, throwing two scoreless innings while striking out four batters and surrendering just one hit. He set the stage perfectly for closer Paul Sewald, who pitched a clean final frame to secure the road upset win.

Arizona now has the edge in Wednesday's Game 2 with Zac Gallen going on the mound. The Brewers are without Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) for the series and instead turn to Freddy Peralta to keep their postseason hopes alive. Diamondbacks fans should expect a very different approach from their skipper, but an aggressive one nonetheless.