Brewers Take 3-0 Lead in World Series With 10-1 Rout of Rays

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 on Monday night at Tropicana Field, securing a 3-0 series lead in the World Series. This victory brings the franchise one win away from its first championship. The Brewers extended their postseason winning streak to eight games, matching the record for a single postseason run.

Outfielder Jackson Chourio drove the offense, finishing 4 for 5 with a double. He now has eight hits in three Series games. Manager Pat Murphy described Chourio as tremendous and locked in. The 22-year-old became the second-youngest player to record four hits and a stolen base in a World Series game, trailing only Ty Cobb from 1908. Chourio noted he treated every at-bat as if it were his last.

Left-hander Robert Gasser delivered a dominant pitching performance. He allowed a leadoff single to Yandy Díaz in the first inning but retired the next 14 batters. A walk to Victor Mesa Jr. opened the sixth inning, but Gasser faced the minimum 18 batters through six frames. He is the first starter to face the minimum in a World Series game since Curt Schilling in 2001 and the first left-handed pitcher to do so since Sandy Koufax in 1965. Gasser has allowed just one run in 15 innings across three road starts this postseason.

The game shifted in the fifth inning when Milwaukee recorded seven consecutive hits, all with two outs. This set a postseason record. The rally began with a single by Chourio and a stolen base. Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta exited after Christian Yelich drew a walk. An apparent forceout at second base was overturned on replay, leading to the entry of reliever Cam Booser. Brice Turang hit a two-run single off a defensive miscue by shortstop Taylor Walls, who called it a knife to the chest. Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, and Sal Frelick added RBI hits to make the score 8-0.

Peralta, the ALCS MVP, allowed five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings against his former team. Rays manager Kevin Cash said the pitcher was a little out of sync. The Brewers finished with 16 hits. Brandon Woodruff pitched the ninth inning in his first appearance in three and a half months, recovering from a shoulder injury that was initially thought to require surgery.

Tampa Bay now has a slim path to victory. Only the 2004 Boston Red Sox have ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven major league postseason series. Of the 25 teams that have taken a 3-0 lead in a World Series, 21 swept the opponent. Cash stated the Rays must win Tuesday night. Griffin Jax is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay, while the Brewers have not yet named their pitcher.

The Brewers lead the majors with 103 wins and swept the Dodgers in the NLCS. A win in Game 4 would make them the first team to sweep both an LCS and the World Series since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. The Rays, who led the AL with 98 wins, have not won a title in 29 seasons. Chourio said the team has one more game to lock in to complete the mission.