A record-setting fifth inning in St. Petersburg
Tampa Bay's first World Series home game at Tropicana Field in 18 years became a night of records, and not the kind the Rays wanted. Milwaukee batted around in the fifth inning on Monday, scoring eight times with two outs to seize a 10-0 advantage and move within one victory of a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven Fall Classic.[S1][S2][S3]
The Brewers strung together seven consecutive two-out hits, a postseason record, against starter Freddy Peralta and relievers Cam Booser and Cole Sulser. Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell and Cooper Pratt drove in five runs across a span of three pitches to stretch the margin to 7-0, and Jackson Chourio collected two hits in the inning to reach four for the game. Milwaukee's outburst comprised three doubles and four singles.[S1]
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the previous benchmark for runs with two outs in a World Series inning was seven, set by Boston in the fifth inning of the 2007 opener against Colorado and equaled by San Francisco in the eighth inning of Game 2 against Texas three years later.[S1]
How the rally unfolded
Milwaukee had already grabbed a 2-0 edge in the third when Christian Yelich and William Contreras delivered opposite-field RBI singles with one out on back-to-back pitches. The decisive fifth began with Chourio's one-out single and a two-out walk to Yelich. Contreras then grounded to third, and Junior Caminero threw to second as umpire Dan Bellino signaled a forceout; the New York replay operations center reversed the call, awarding Contreras an infield single that filled the bases.[S1]
Booser entered and Turang's 106 mph one-hop grounder skipped off the glove of shortstop Taylor Walls, who dropped to a knee and tumbled as the ball rolled into short center field, allowing two runs to score. One pitch later Mitchell punched an opposite-field RBI single through the shortstop hole vacated because Walls had shifted toward second for the left-handed batter. Pratt then smashed a ball off the glove of a diving Caminero that rolled into the left-field corner for a two-run double.[S1]
Sal Frelick sliced an opposite-field double that struck the wall on a hop in the left-field corner, plating Pratt and ending Booser's night. David Hamilton greeted Sulser with a shoulder-high fastball lined into center for a run-scoring single and a 9-0 cushion, and Chourio lofted an opposite-field RBI double that landed just in front of the warning track. Jake Bauers closed the inning with a flyout.[S1]
The historical hole facing Tampa Bay
Of the 43 teams that have fallen behind 0-3 in a best-of-seven postseason series, only the Red Sox managed to come back, doing so against the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series. Among the 25 clubs that have trailed 0-3 in a World Series, 21 were swept and the remaining four pushed the Series to a fifth game before losing.[S1]
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the only other team to post eight two-out runs in any postseason inning, according to MLB, having scored 10 with two outs in the first inning of Game 3 against the Brewers in the 2020 National League Championship Series. Milwaukee's two earlier wins at American Family Field both came by a single run.[S1]
