Brewers rout Rays 10-1 to take 3-1 World Series lead

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 on Monday night at Tropicana Field to take a 3-1 lead in the World Series.

Jackson Chourio recorded four hits in the loss, while Brice Turang and William Contreras each collected three. The Brewers committed to a high-scoring offensive approach, gathering 16 hits against the Rays pitching staff.

Manager Pat Murphy credited the lineup for generating momentum. He described Chourio as tremendous and locked in, noting the player provided a substantial lift for the team. Chourio has now amassed eight hits across three games in the series.

Robert Gasser secured the victory with a dominant outing on the mound. The rookie left-hander allowed just one hit and faced the minimum number of batters through six innings. He became the first starter to face 18 batters in six innings of a World Series game since Curt Schilling in 2001.

Gasser noted the unusual support from the opposing fans. He observed that approximately 20,000 Brewers supporters cheered from behind the visitors' dugout at the Tropicana Field. The stadium had a sellout crowd of 40,388 for the contest.

The decisive run came during the fifth inning. The Brewers scored eight runs, setting a World Series record for two-out runs in a single inning. Christian Yelich drew a walk, and William Contreras reached on an infield single to load the bases before the rally continued.

A replay review overturned a forceout call at second base, allowing the inning to continue. Turang then hit a two-run single that bounced off shortstop Taylor Walls' glove. Walls described the play as a knife to the chest. The Brewers extended their lead to 8-0 on subsequent hits by Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, and Sal Frelick.

Frederick Peralta, who won the American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player award, struggled in the start. He gave up five runs and seven hits in four and two-thirds innings. Rays manager Kevin Cash said Peralta felt good but was out of sync, leading to inconsistencies in the strike zone.

The Rays have never won a World Series in their 29 seasons as a franchise. They previously lost to the Phillies in 2008 and the Dodgers in 2020. Tampa Bay led the American League with 98 wins in the regular season before falling behind in this series.

Game 4 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. Griffin Jax is set to start for the Rays. The Brewers have not announced their starter. A win in the next game would make Milwaukee the first team to sweep both a League Championship Series and a World Series since the Cincinnati Reds in 1976.