The Milwaukee Brewers hold a two-game advantage in the World Series following successive one-run victories over the Tampa Bay Rays, fueled largely by an extraordinary postseason relief run from Aaron Ashby. Milwaukee has captured nine of its 10 games this postseason, putting the club on pace to become one of the most efficient champions in recent years, with Ashby appearing in eight of those contests.
Ashby’s performance through 15.2 postseason innings has drawn statistical comparisons to Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera’s dominant late-90s playoff stretches. Across his appearances, Ashby has allowed five hits and zero runs while walking three batters and striking out 17. Of the five hits surrendered, three were doubles and one was an infield bunt single. While Rivera historically worked almost exclusively in ninth-inning save situations, Ashby has been deployed across multi-inning stints beginning anywhere from the fifth through the eighth inning.
In Game 1 on Friday, Ashby took over for Abner Uribe with one out in the seventh inning of a 2-1 game—which Milwaukee eventually won 3-2—and retired five consecutive batters via strikeout, a flyout, two more strikeouts, and a groundout to short. On Saturday, in Game 2, he replaced Uribe with one out in the eighth inning and a 5-4 lead, navigating a leadoff double by Jonny DeLuca before closing out the contest to secure a 5-4 victory.
Manager Pat Murphy’s heavy reliance on the left-handed reliever has sparked occasional dugout tension over player workload. During Saturday’s ninth inning, manager Pat Murphy briefly contemplated turning to actual closer Trevor Megill to face right-handed hitters Victor Mesa, Ben Williamson, and Yandy Diaz. However, Murphy ultimately stuck with Ashby. Facing Diaz for the final at-bat, Ashby departed from his usual high-90s fastball approach, throwing three changeups and two curveballs to freeze Diaz’s swing and end the game.
Ashby’s emergence is part of a broader team identity for Milwaukee during the playoffs. The Brewers have routinely fallen behind early, allowing the game’s first run in seven of their 10 postseason matchups, including spotting opponents a 4-0 lead in two of their last three games before shutting down opposing offenses. Backed by aggressive baserunning and contributions throughout the lineup, the Brewers head toward Game 3 with control of the series as Ashby continues his historic October workload.
