Brewers' Game 3 Rout Puts First Title in Reach

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Milwaukee Brewers routed the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 on Monday night in a Game 3 rout that moved Milwaukee within a win of the franchise's first World Series title. Jackson Chourio and Brice Turang sparked a fifth-inning outburst, and rookie left-hander Robert Gasser delivered a shutout outing on the mound at Tropicana Field.

Milwaukee scored twice in the third inning on RBI singles from Christian Yelich and William Contreras, then broke the game open in the middle frames. The Brewers finished with 16 hits against Tampa Bay starter Freddy Peralta and a string of relievers, according to the Associated Press. The victory gave Milwaukee a commanding lead in the championship series, with the clincher set for Tuesday night back at Tropicana Field.

The inning that broke the game open

Peralta, starting against his former club, had kept Milwaukee quiet early. The inning turned on a replay review. With runners aboard and the inning nearly over, Contreras chopped a ball to third baseman Junior Caminero, who threw to second for a force that would have ended the frame. The Brewers challenged, and the call was overturned: Yelich beat the throw, Contreras had an infield single, and the bases were loaded. Peralta's night ended after 87 pitches.

What followed was a postseason first. Milwaukee collected seven consecutive hits, all with two outs, turning a close game into a blowout. Turang's single drove in a pair of runs, and RBI hits from Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt and Sal Frelick kept the line moving. David Hamilton and Chourio added run-scoring hits of their own before the inning finally ended. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash described the sequence as deflating for his club.

Chourio capped the outburst with an RBI double as part of a big night at the plate. The 22-year-old is the youngest player to record a four-hit game in the World Series since Joe Garagiola in 1946, according to ESPN. Chourio told reporters through a translator that the moment felt super special and that the fans deserved a championship.

Gasser silences Tampa Bay's bats

Gasser, a rookie left-hander, allowed a lone hit and a walk across six shutout innings on 75 pitches. Yandy Díaz singled to open the bottom of the first, but the runner was erased on a force play and Chandler Simpson was caught stealing. When Victor Mesa Jr. walked to open the next frame, Nick Fortes grounded into a double play. Gasser retired 14 straight at one stretch and faced the minimum 18 batters.

The performance put Gasser in rare company. No left-hander had faced the minimum in a World Series game since Sandy Koufax in 1965, and no starter of either hand had done it since Curt Schilling in 2001, according to the Associated Press. Gasser has allowed a single run across his postseason outings, all on the road. Antonio Senzatela followed with scoreless relief, and veteran Brandon Woodruff worked the final frame, where Tampa Bay scored its only run on a Díaz double.

"The guys just passed the baton to each other," Yelich told FOX's Ken Rosenthal after the game. "It was just good at-bat after good at-bat after good at-bat." Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised Chourio's night, calling him tremendous and locked in, and said leading off the game with a hit gave the club a lift even though Milwaukee did not score in the opening frame.

History leans heavily toward Milwaukee

The stakes go beyond a single game. Milwaukee's only previous World Series trip came in 1982, when the club lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in a series that went the distance. A title this week would end a 57-year wait and cap a 103-win regular season, the best record in the majors. The Brewers also swept the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series to reach this round.

The record book offers Tampa Bay little comfort. Only the 2004 Boston Red Sox have rallied from a three-game deficit to win a series. Of the 25 clubs that have opened a World Series by winning the first trio of games, 21 completed the sweep, according to Sportsnet. No club in Tampa Bay's current position has ever won the World Series, and only a handful have even extended the series past the clinching game.

Cash, the Rays manager, said his club still had a seat at the table and had to make something of its chance. Sal Frelick, who doubled home a run in the decisive inning and made a fine catch in right field late in the game, said Milwaukee approached the night with a win-or-go-home mindset and planned to reset the same way for the clincher.

Tuesday night brings the clincher

Game 4 is Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, televised on FOX. Griffin Jax starts for Tampa Bay in the elimination game, making his first career World Series appearance, reported by NBC Sports. Jax last pitched on Oct. 15 in the American League Championship Series against Cleveland. Milwaukee will start Dustin May as part of a bullpen plan, according to TSN, after May pitched a scoreless inning earlier in the series.

A Milwaukee win ends the series and delivers the championship to a franchise that has waited since its founding for this moment. A Tampa Bay win only delays the celebration and forces the series back to Milwaukee later in the week. Either way, the Brewers need just another victory, and after Monday night, they have shown they know how to take it.

Full coverage of the series is available from the Associated Press at the AP report on the game, from theScore's recap of the rout and from Sportsnet's account of the night. Recent sports coverage on this site includes the NBA's opening week and HYROX fitness racing's Olympic ambitions.