The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 this Friday in the first game of the World Series, after resisting a dramatic threat in the ninth inning to take a 1-0 lead in the Fall Classic.
The Milwaukee team thus celebrated its first victory in a World Series since 1982, on a special night for its fans, who once again enjoyed a game of this nature at home after 44 years.
The Brewers started the game strong and took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jackson Chourio opened the attack with a single and Christian Yelich hit an RBI triple that allowed the Venezuelan to score the first run of the game. Shortly after, William Contreras extended the lead with an RBI single.
Starter Jacob Misiorowski responded with a solid performance from the mound. The right-hander allowed one run and four hits in five innings of work, with three strikeouts and one walk, to take the victory. Additionally, he set a World Series speed record by throwing a 103.5 mile per hour fastball.
The Rays scored in the fourth inning, when Liam Hicks hit a ground ball that allowed Jonathan Aranda to score. However, Milwaukee’s pitching managed to contain the visiting team’s threats for much of the game.
In the seventh inning, Chourio was once again the protagonist when he hit an RBI single that brought Cooper Pratt home and made the score 3-1. The Venezuelan outfielder finished with two hits and an RBI, while Contreras also had two hits and an RBI.
The closing of the match was full of tension. Tampa Bay loaded the bases in the ninth inning off reliever Trevor Megill and appeared to have suffered the final out when Liam Hicks hit a grounder that initially ended in a double play. However, video review determined that Pratt had separated his foot from second base upon receiving the throw, so the play was modified.
The Rays got a run and kept two runners in scoring position, but Megill regained focus and struck out Jonny DeLuca to seal the win for Milwaukee.
With this result, the Brewers take the lead in the World Series and will seek to extend their advantage in the second game, again in front of their home crowd. The Rays, for their part, will try to even the series before moving it to Tampa Bay.
