Brewers Rout Rays 10-1, Take 3-0 Series Lead

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. The Milwaukee Brewers can win their first World Series title on Tuesday night after beating the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 on Monday at Tropicana Field. The Brewers lead the series 3-0 and Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday at the same stadium.

Robert Gasser, a rookie left-hander, allowed one hit over six innings and faced the minimum 18 batters. He gave up a leadoff single to Yandy Diaz in the first inning, then retired 14 straight batters before Victor Mesa Jr. walked to open the Tampa Bay sixth. A caught stealing and a double play helped Gasser complete the six-inning stretch without allowing a runner to reach base. He became the first starter to face the minimum through six innings of a World Series game since Arizona's Curt Schilling in 2001 and the first left-hander to do it since Sandy Koufax for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1965.

Milwaukee broke the game open in the fifth inning with eight runs, seven of which came on seven consecutive two-out hits. Brice Turang drove in two runs with a single, Garrett Mitchell added an RBI single, Cooper Pratt hit a two-run double, Sal Frelick doubled in a run, David Hamilton singled in a run, and Jackson Chourio doubled to score the eighth run of the inning. It marked the first time in World Series history that a team scored eight two-out runs in one inning. Tampa Bay's Taylor Walls said the sequence was a "Knife to the chest." Rays manager Kevin Cash called the inning "deflating."

Chourio finished 4 for 5 with a double and a stolen base. He has eight hits in three Series games. Turang and William Contreras each went 3 for 5. Milwaukee collected 16 hits against Freddy Peralta and five relievers. Peralta, the MVP of the ALCS against Cleveland, was charged with five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Tampa Bay starter Griffin Jax is scheduled for Game 4. Milwaukee had not announced a starter as of Monday night. Brandon Woodruff pitched the ninth for the Brewers, allowing one run and two hits in his first appearance in 3 1/2 months.

The Brewers improved to 16-3 in postseason play and have won eight straight games, tying the record for a single postseason. Milwaukee led the majors with 103 wins during the regular season. The Rays led the American League with 98 wins. Tampa Bay has never won a World Series in 29 seasons, losing to Philadelphia in 2008 and the Dodgers in 2020.

Milwaukee's only other World Series appearance came in 1982 as an American League team and ended with a Game 7 loss to St. Louis. The franchise played one season as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers in 1970. Manager Pat Murphy is 67 years old.