Brewers rout Rays 10-1 in historic World Series performance

The Milwaukee Brewers scored eight runs with two outs in one inning of the World Series, a mark no team had reached before. The offensive outburst routed the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 on Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The result gives Milwaukee a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. This is the first time the Rays have hosted a World Series game at Tropicana Field in 18 years. The venue saw a historic collapse by the visiting club's pitching staff.

Brice Turang opened the scoring surge with a two-run single. That hit was the second of seven consecutive hits by Brewers batters with two outs. The hits came against starter Freddy Peralta and relievers Cam Booser and Cole Sulser. Milwaukee turned a 2-0 lead into a 7-0 advantage on three straight pitches from Turang, Garrett Mitchell, and Cooper Pratt.

The Brewers extended the lead to 10-0 in a 17-pitch span. Jackson Chourio contributed two hits in that inning, part of his four-hit night. The previous Series high for runs scored with two outs was seven, set by Boston in the fifth inning of the 2007 opener against Colorado. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the only other team to score eight runs with two outs in a postseason inning, doing so in the 2020 NLCS.

Rays shortstop Taylor Walls missed a key grounder from Turang, which allowed the run to score. The ball hit the dirt just past the infield grass and glanced off Walls' glove into short center field. Walls described the moment as feeling like a knife in the chest. He noted that the play was likely the turning point of the game.

An earlier defensive error contributed to the Brewers' early lead. In the fifth inning, Junior Caminero threw to second base for a forceout against William Contreras. Umpire Alfonso Márquez reversed the call in the replay center, awarding Contreras an infield single that loaded the bases. Caminero said he chose to throw to second because he knew his arm was not the strongest option for a throw to first base in that situation.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said the team must use the 3-0 deficit as motivation. He described the situation as having a seat at the table and needing to do something with the chip. Cash stated the only thing the team can do is win Game 4.

Historical data offers little hope for teams trailing 3-0 in the World Series. Of 25 teams that fell behind 3-0, 21 were swept and four lost in five games. The Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series is the only instance of a team coming back from a 3-0 hole in a best-of-seven postseason matchup.

Rays pitcher Griffin Jax is scheduled to start Game 4 on Tuesday. Jax said the team was beaten badly and would try to sleep off the loss to come back ready to fight. He plans to put the Series deficit out of his mind before taking the mound.