MILWAUKEE — The Brewers had already sent off the fireworks. Then they had to win the game again.
Trevor Megill struck out Jonny DeLuca swinging on a 2-2 pitch to secure Milwaukee’s 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the World Series, moments after an overturned call wiped away an apparent game-ending double play.
Milwaukee finally got its last out, taking a 1-0 series lead in a matchup between two franchises chasing their first World Series title.
It was a tense finish to a dream start for the Brew Crew.
Jackson Chourio singled to the opposite field on the first pitch of the bottom of the first. Christian Yelich later opened the scoring with a hit into right-centre. DeLuca got his glove on it while diving but couldn’t squeeze it, and the ball fell to the grass.
William Contreras followed with a rocket into left field past a drawn-in Taylor Walls, making it 2-0.
That early support gave Jacob Misiorowski something to work with. The hard-throwing right-hander opened with triple-digit velocity and worked around consecutive singles by Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson in the first. Junior Caminero lined out to David Hamilton at third, and Hamilton threw to second to double off Aranda.
Misiorowski needed just nine pitches in a scoreless second and kept Tampa Bay off the board through three. He finished with five innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out three.
Nick Martinez matched him in innings, settling in after Milwaukee’s early scoring. He allowed two earned runs on five hits over five innings, striking out five without a walk.
Caminero helped get Tampa Bay back into it with a 113 mph double to straightaway centre. He got a good chunk of that one, turning Garrett Mitchell around as the ball went over his head and off his glove. The hit put runners on second and third with one out.
Canadian Liam Hicks put the ball in play to bring a run across, cutting Milwaukee’s lead to 2-1.
But Tampa Bay’s mistakes on the bases were starting to add up.
After Aranda was doubled off in the first, Contreras later threw out a runner trying to steal third to end another threat. Milwaukee had its own costly out when Hamilton tried to stretch a double into a triple. He stumbled rounding second, and that little bit of a slowdown may have made the difference on a close play at third.
Aranda continued to give the Rays chances. In the sixth, the left-handed hitter squared up an Abner Uribe slider and lined it through the infield into right for a single. He had reached base in all three plate appearances, including a walk.
Again, Tampa Bay’s inning ended with a runner being thrown out. Uribe got the strikeout, and Contreras gunned down the runner attempting to steal second for a strike ’em out, throw ’em out double play.
Milwaukee added a run in the seventh after a leadoff walk came around to score. Chourio slashed an opposite-field hit past the first baseman and down the right-field line off Kevin Kelly, stretching the lead to 3-1.
Jake Bauers then sent one down the other line, just inside third, putting runners on the corners. Tampa Bay prevented further damage, keeping the deficit at two heading toward a dramatic ninth.
With one out, the Rays pulled off a double steal during Caminero’s at-bat, moving runners to second and third. Megill was having trouble finding the strike zone, spiking his last two pitches to walk Caminero and load the bases.
The Brewers then appeared to turn a game-ending 4-6-3 double play. The celebration began, and the pyrotechnics went off.
But the play went to review over whether Cooper Pratt’s foot had left second base before he caught the throw. The out at second was overturned. A Tampa Bay run scored, making it 3-2 with two outs.
With smoke still hanging over the field, Megill had to finish it for a second time.
DeLuca worked the count to 2-2 before swinging through strike three.
Now they could send the fireworks.
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