Brewers Take 3-0 Series Lead

Milwaukee moved within one win of the World Series title, beating Tampa Bay 10-1 on Monday night at Tropicana Field to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Brewers scored eight runs with two outs in one inning, the first club ever to do so in Series play, and now hold a commanding advantage after a pair of one-run victories at American Family Field.

The Rays' first World Series game in St. Petersburg in 18 years turned into a record night for Milwaukee hitters. Freddy Peralta started for Tampa Bay, followed by Cam Booser and Cole Sulser, and the Brewers collected seven straight two-out hits against them, a new postseason record. Jackson Chourio went 4-for-4, singling and doubling during the rally.

Milwaukee led 2-0 after Christian Yelich and William Contreras delivered run-scoring singles on consecutive pitches in the third. The Brewers broke the game open in the fifth. Contreras reached first on an infield single after umpire Alfonso Márquez reversed a forceout call at second base in the New York replay operations center. Booser then took the mound, and Brice Turang sent a 106 mph one-hopper past shortstop Taylor Walls into short center field. Garrett Mitchell followed with an RBI single, Cooper Pratt doubled in two runs, Sal Frelick doubled, David Hamilton singled, and Chourio doubled to cap the scoring.

Walls called the grounder past his glove "the turning point in the game." Booser, quiet in the Tampa Bay clubhouse afterward, said, "Worst feeling in the world, feeling like you let your team down." Peralta credited Milwaukee's hitters: "They were very disciplined at the plate. Just tried to hit the ball the other way."

The Rays face long odds. Among the 25 previous teams that trailed 3-0 in a World Series, 21 were swept and four lost in five games. Across all best-of-seven postseason series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox recovered from a 3-0 deficit to beat New York. Rays manager Kevin Cash said, "It's kind of that chip and a chair mentality. We've got a seat at the table. We've got to do something with the chip. Obviously the only thing we can do is win tomorrow."

Boston had held the Series record with seven two-out runs in the 2007 opener against Colorado, matched by San Francisco in 2010 against Texas, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The Los Angeles Dodgers posted 10 two-out runs in the first inning of the 2020 NL Championship Series against Atlanta.

Game 4 is set for Tuesday in Florida. Griffin Jax starts for Tampa Bay and said he will put the deficit behind him: "We just got our butts kicked tonight. I don't think there's really much else to say."