ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Milwaukee Brewers benefited from an offensive barrage with two outs in the fifth inning to move within one win of the first World Series title in franchise history.
Jackson Chourio highlighted his four-hit performance with an RBI double to cap an eight-run fifth inning, fueling Milwaukee to a 10-1 romp over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday as the Brewers took a 3-1 lead in the Fall Classic.
Chourio is 8-for-14 with four runs in the first three contests of the World Series.
The Brewers, who are 10-1 in the postseason, will look to capture their first World Series title in Game 4 on Tuesday in St. Petersburg.
Milwaukee recorded 16 hits to provide more than enough offense for Robert Gasser (1-0), who allowed one hit — Yandy Diaz’s single to lead off the first — over six scoreless innings. He walked one and struck out three to become the first left-hander to face the minimum 18 batters through six innings of a World Series game since Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax accomplished the feat for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1965.
Gasser has yielded one run on seven hits in 15 innings over three outings in the postseason.
“It was a great team win, but we’ve got work to do,” Gasser told Fox Sports. “There’s still one more game to go.”
The Brewers broke open the game in the fifth after a replay review overturned a call at second base in which a hustling Christian Yelich initially was called out to end the inning.
“The whole game was changed when Yeli was safe at second, that’s a hustle play,” Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said. “When your leader makes that play, that says it all.”
Instead, Milwaukee had the bases loaded, and the Brewers turned a 2-0 game into a 10-0 laugher when each of the next six batters reached base.
Cam Booser relieved Freddy Peralta (2-1) and promptly permitted a sharp single by Brice Turang that caromed off the glove of shortstop Taylor Walls and into shallow center field, allowing Chourio and Yelich to score.
Garrett Mitchell added an RBI single to left field, Cooper Pratt bounced a two-run double over the third base bag, and Sal Frelick delivered an RBI double to extend the Brewers’ lead to 8-0.
That chased Booser, but David Hamilton greeted Cole Sulser with an RBI single and Chourio added a run-scoring double to push Milwaukee’s advantage to 10-0.
“Afterward, it’s just a credit to the guys just passing the baton to each other,” Yelich said. “We were able to have good AB after good AB, and we were able to lengthen it out there.”
Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash naturally sang a different tune.
“It’s definitely deflating, how can it not be?” Cash said of the inning.
Chourio singled off Peralta with one out in the third inning, advanced to second on a walk by Jake Bauers and opened the scoring on Yelich’s single to left field.
Milwaukee doubled the advantage on the next pitch when William Contreras singled to right field. Victor Mesa Jr. briefly bobbled the ball, allowing Bauers to score from second base.
Peralta permitted five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings against the team with which he spent the first eight seasons of his major league career.
Diaz had an RBI double in the ninth inning off Brewers veteran Brandon Woodruff, who hadn’t pitched since July 4 due to a shoulder injury.
–Field Level Media
