The top of the fifth inning at Tropicana Field appeared to be over when Christian Yelich was initially called out sliding into second base on a fielder’s choice. The Tampa Bay Rays were already heading off the field as preparations began for the standard mascot race, but a Milwaukee challenge altered the course of Game 3 completely.
When replay officials ruled Yelich safe, the inning extended and sparked a historic offensive exhibition unlike any in Fall Classic history. En route to a dominant 10-1 victory, the Brewers became the first team in postseason history to register seven consecutive hits, turning a tight contest into an eight-run, two-out avalanche that left the hosts reeling.
“It was just good at-bat after good at-bat after good at-bat,” Yelich said after the game.
With Tampa Bay already trailing by two runs, reliever Cam Booser was summoned to escape a bases-loaded, two-out jam after Freddy Peralta’s departure. The situation unraveled immediately. Brice Turang delivered a two-run single off Taylor Walls’ glove, Garrett Mitchell stroked an RBI single, and Cooper Pratt doubled home two more runs. Booser failed to record an out against four batters, and Cole Sulser surrendered additional run-scoring hits before Jake Bauers flied out to finally end the inning.
The damage might have been averted had infielder Junior Caminero thrown to first base instead of taking the shorter toss to second on the initial fielder’s choice, missing a potential play on William Contreras lumbering down the baseline. It proved a costly missed opportunity as Milwaukee seized firm control of the series.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy’s squad has operated with machine-like efficiency throughout October. Winners of 103 regular-season games and 10 more in the postseason, the team has not lost since falling in Game 3 of the National League Division Series against San Diego on Oct. 6. Holding a commanding 3-0 lead, the Brewers sit just one win away from capturing the first championship in franchise history.
History serves as a daunting warning for Tampa Bay. Only one team in baseball history has ever successfully overcome a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series: the 2004 Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. In the World Series specifically, no team has ever forced a Game 6 after falling into a 3-0 hole. Out of 43 prior teams to trail a best-of-seven series by three games, only 10 forced a fifth game, four reached a sixth game, and just one—the 2020 Houston Astros—pushed the series to a decisive seventh game.
While the offense delivered historic numbers, left-hander Robert Gasser delivered a stellar pitching performance to anchor the victory. Making his third consecutive postseason start on the road, Gasser mastered a hostile environment by limiting Tampa Bay to just one run over 15 cumulative innings across his playoff outings.
Díaz greeted Gasser with a leadoff single, which stood as the only hit the left-hander allowed all night. Gasser faced the minimum through six innings, walking one and striking out three while handing his bullpen a 10-run cushion on just 75 pitches. He became the ninth pitcher in World Series history to hurl at least six scoreless frames while permitting one or zero hits, and the first since Houston’s Cristian Javier threw six no-hit innings in Game 4 of the 2022 World Series.
“We’re going to enjoy tonight,” Gasser said. “It was a great team win, but we’ve got work to do. There’s still one more game to go for us to win, and I know everybody’s eager to do it.”
Milwaukee’s attack proved to be a comprehensive team effort, with eight of the nine starters recording hits. Jackson Chourio set the table early, notching his ninth career multihit postseason game to tie Andruw Jones for the most by a player before turning 23. Chourio collected singles in his first three at-bats before capping the fifth-inning onslaught with an RBI double off Sulser.
At 22 years and 229 days old, Chourio also became the second-youngest player in World Series history to record four hits and a stolen base in a single game, joining Ty Cobb, who accomplished the feat in Game 3 of the 1908 Series at 21 years and 299 days old. The top four batters in Milwaukee’s lineup combined for nine of the team’s 16 hits, including Contreras, who finished 3-for-5.
For Tampa Bay, the focus now shifts entirely to staving off elimination on their home field.
“It’s three-nothing now, but it starts tomorrow,” Díaz said. “We’ve got to win that one game that we have tomorrow and go from there.”
