I circled Game 3 as the one the Rays would win. Freddy Peralta against his old team, a loud building in St. Petersburg and a Tampa Bay club that had to have it. Instead, the Brewers turned it into the most lopsided game of the series. Milwaukee won 10-1 and now leads the World Series 3-0. One more win and the Brewers are champions for the first time in franchise history.
The Fifth Inning
After the Brewers climbed out of an early hole to win Game 2, I thought the Rays would bounce back at home. For four innings, this was the game I expected. Milwaukee scored twice in the third, and Peralta kept the Brewers from doing much else. Then came the fifth.
With one out, Jackson Chourio singled and Jake Bauers flied out. That should have been the end of it. Instead, Chourio stole second, Christian Yelich walked, and William Contreras beat out a ground ball to third when Junior Caminero’s throw to second was a step late. The Brewers challenged the out call and won, Peralta’s night was over, and the next six Milwaukee hitters all got hits.
Brice Turang singled in two runs. Garrett Mitchell singled in another. Cooper Pratt doubled in two more, Sal Frelick doubled, David Hamilton lined a single to center, and Chourio came back up and singled for his second hit of the inning. By the time Bauers flied out, the Brewers had scored eight runs, all of them with two outs. That is a World Series record.
Peralta was charged with five runs in 4 2/3 innings. After he was named ALCS MVP, this was a tough way for his first World Series start to end, and it came against the team he spent his first eight big league seasons with.
Robert Gasser Was Untouchable
The offense will get the headlines, but Robert Gasser was just as big a story. The left-hander threw six scoreless innings and allowed one hit on 75 pitches. In my preview, I said Milwaukee only needed five good innings from him. He gave them six great ones, and he came into the night with a 1.00 ERA this postseason.
Antonio Senzatela followed with two scoreless innings. The Rays finally scored in the ninth against Brandon Woodruff, when Yandy Díaz doubled in Cedric Mullins, but that was all they could do.
Who Stood Out
- Jackson Chourio: 4 for 5 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, including two hits in the fifth inning.
- William Contreras: three hits.
- Brice Turang: three hits and two RBIs.
- Cooper Pratt: a two-run double in the fifth.
- The Rays’ lineup: three hits all night, two of them by Yandy Díaz. Tampa Bay has scored seven runs in three games.
My Pick
I picked the Rays 4-2 in this one, and I could not have been more wrong. I also picked Brewers in six before the series started, which means I thought Tampa Bay would win at least once in St. Petersburg. The Rays still have two chances at home to make that true, but no team has ever come back from 0-3 in the World Series.
The Series So Far
| Game | Date | Location | Result / Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Fri., Oct. 23 | Milwaukee | Brewers 3, Rays 2 |
| Game 2 | Sat., Oct. 24 | Milwaukee | Brewers 5, Rays 4 |
| Game 3 | Mon., Oct. 26 | St. Petersburg | Brewers 10, Rays 1 |
| Game 4 | Tue., Oct. 27 | St. Petersburg | 8 p.m., FOX |
| Game 5* | Wed., Oct. 28 | St. Petersburg | 8 p.m., FOX |
| Game 6* | Fri., Oct. 30 | Milwaukee | 8 p.m., FOX |
| Game 7* | Sat., Oct. 31 | Milwaukee | 8 p.m., FOX |
*If necessary
Up Next
Game 4 is Tuesday night in St. Petersburg. The Brewers can finish a sweep and win the first World Series in franchise history. The Rays have to win four straight to win their first. I am ready for Game 4.
Featured photo: Jackson Chourio, 2024 by Sewageboy, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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