Brewers Sweep Within a Win of First World Series Title, Rout Rays 10-1
Seven Lights
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 in Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night, taking a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven and moving within one victory of the first World Series title in franchise history.
Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang sparked an eight-run fifth inning. Chourio went 4-for-5, William Contreras was 3-for-5, and Milwaukee collected 16 hits off Freddy Peralta and five relievers. Peralta, the American League Championship Series most valuable player against Cleveland and a former Ray, was charged with five runs and seven hits in four and two-thirds innings.
Rookie left-hander Robert Gasser pitched one-hit ball and faced the minimum through six innings. He allowed a line-drive single to Yandy Díaz leading off the first inning, then retired 14 straight batters before Victor Mesa Jr. walked to open the sixth. Helped by a caught stealing and a double play, Gasser became the first starter to face the minimum 18 batters through six innings of a World Series game since Curt Schilling of Arizona in 2001, and the first left-hander since Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1965. He is the first Milwaukee starter to record an out in the sixth inning this postseason, having allowed one run in 15 innings across three starts, all on the road.
The Brewers won their eighth straight postseason game and fourth consecutive on the road. After two tense one-run games at home — 3-2 on Friday and 5-4 on Saturday — they put Monday’s contest out of reach in the fifth.
Of the 43 previous major league teams to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox came back, against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Game 4 is Tuesday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg at 8pm Eastern, with Game 5 on Wednesday at the same hour. Many Brewers fans attended Game 3 in Tampa and cheered from behind the visitors’ dugout.
Milwaukee needs one win to clinch. Games 4 and 5 are scheduled in Tampa Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday; if necessary, Games 6 and 7 return to Milwaukee on Friday and Saturday. Tampa Bay must become the first team in baseball history to win a World Series from 3-0 down to extend its season.