A rout at Tropicana Field
Monday night brought the first World Series game to Tropicana Field since Game 2 in 2008, when the Rays defeated the Phillies behind James Shields. Shields returned for Game 3 to throw the ceremonial first pitch and nearly hit Raymond, the blue mascot standing behind the plate. From there the evening went badly for the home side. Milwaukee rolled to a 10-1 win over Tampa Bay, scoring eight runs in the fifth inning, and leads the Series 3-0. Game 4 is Tuesday.[S1][S4][S6][S8]
The Brewers are 10-1 this postseason and have won eight consecutive playoff games, the first club to do so since the 2017 Nationals. Much of the night's damage came from Milwaukee's habit of forcing mistakes. In the third inning Jackson Chourio singled, Jake Bauers walked and Christian Yelich singled to left, bringing Chourio home. William Contreras then dropped a single down the right-field line; Bauers hesitated before third, then scored when Victor Mesa Jr. struggled to field the ball. No error was charged.[S1]
The fifth inning unravels
Rays manager Kevin Cash left Freddy Peralta in to face the top of the order a third time. Chourio singled and Yelich walked with two outs, and Peralta stayed in to face Contreras while Cam Booser warmed up. Contreras grounded to third, and Junior Caminero's throw to second arrived too late to force Yelich; the Brewers challenged the initial out call and won it. Sal Frelick credited Yelich's aggressive lead for opening the decisive inning.[S1]
Booser entered and the inning collapsed. Brice Turang's one-hopper up the middle got past shortstop Taylor Walls and two runs scored. Garrett Mitchell singled in a run, Cooper Pratt doubled in two more, and Frelick added another RBI double as Booser gave up four straight hits without recording an out. It was 10-0 when the inning ended. Cash described the sequence as coming apart.[S1][S8]
Pitching and defense hold firm
Gasser allowed one hit over six shutout innings, and Antonio Senzatela retired all six batters he faced in relief. Aaron Ashby, D.L. Hall and Abner Uribe gained another day of rest, and closer Trevor Megill a third straight. Frelick made a tumbling catch in right field in the eighth to rob Ben Williamson of a hit. Tampa Bay managed three hits and a walk and did not put a runner past first base until the ninth, when it came on defensive indifference. The Rays scored only with two outs in the ninth.[S1]
Milwaukee's 16 hits were the most in a nine-inning World Series game since Arizona had 16 against Texas in Game 2 in 2023. Pat Murphy said his players keep competing regardless of the out count and treat every pitch as important. He also said the support in the ballpark showed how deeply the team has connected with people in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Many Rays fans had left a rare sellout before the end, while a group of Brewers supporters roared behind the third-base dugout at the final out.[S1][S5]
