Brewers Celebrate Twice — Megill Escapes a World Series Ninth-Inning Nightmare
GOATIFYMilwaukee thought it had won the World Series opener. The fireworks were going, the dugout was emptying, and closer Trevor Megill was ready to celebrate. Then the replay booth gave Tampa Bay another life. The Brewers had to finish the ninth inning a second time, and this time Megill left no decision for the cameras: he struck out Jonny DeLuca with two runners in scoring position.
The result was a 3–2 victory over the Rays on Friday, October 23, and a 1–0 lead in a World Series guaranteed to produce a first-time champion. Jacob Misiorowski made history with the first pitch, Christian Yelich ignited the offense, and Jackson Chourio delivered the run that became indispensable. Yet the lasting image was a team forced to regain its composure after its own victory celebration had already started.
Yelich's triple gave Milwaukee the lead — Contreras made it count
Milwaukee's opening inning was a reminder that this lineup does not need a towering home run to create immediate damage. Jackson Chourio attacked Nick Martinez's first pitch for a single. With one out, Christian Yelich drove a ball into center field, where Jonny DeLuca covered enormous ground but could not complete a diving catch. The ball escaped for a run-scoring triple, and Chourio crossed the plate with the first run of the series.
William Contreras followed with a hard single to left, bringing Yelich home and giving the Brewers a 2–0 lead before Tampa Bay had fully settled into the night. The catcher would contribute in a different way later, throwing out two would-be base stealers. Against a Rays team that likes to create pressure with movement, those defensive outs were as valuable as another extra-base hit.
There was a personal layer to Yelich's swing. He had endured a difficult regular season by his standards, and his role in the batting order had changed as Milwaukee experimented with matchups. In his first World Series plate appearance, however, the Brewers captain delivered a swing that turned anticipation into a lead. It was the kind of contribution that makes a veteran's leadership tangible rather than merely ceremonial.
Martinez deserves credit for stopping the damage. After the rough first inning, Tampa Bay's surprise Game 1 starter completed five innings without allowing another run. He struck out five and kept the Rays within striking distance, vindicating part of Kevin Cash's decision to hold Drew Rasmussen for the following night. The problem was that a strong recovery could not erase those first two runs. Against Milwaukee's late-inning pitching, chasing even a modest deficit is expensive.
Misiorowski's first pitch broke a record, but his restraint mattered more
Jacob Misiorowski introduced himself to the World Series with a fastball that registered 103.5 mph against Yandy Díaz. It was the fastest pitch recorded in Fall Classic history, surpassing the 103.2-mph benchmark set by Aroldis Chapman in 2016. The number captured the crowd's imagination, but the rest of his outing told a more complicated story than pure intimidation.
The 24-year-old allowed one run on four hits and a walk across five innings, with three strikeouts. He threw 38 pitches at 100 mph or faster, yet Tampa Bay did not simply collapse under the velocity. The Rays fouled off fastballs, made him work, and limited his swing-and-miss dominance. That is an important distinction for a pitcher who spent the regular season overwhelming hitters with the combination of speed and sharp secondary stuff.
Milwaukee had prepared for that challenge. Misiorowski's workload was already far beyond his previous professional high, and the Brewers had the luxury of a rested bullpen after sweeping Los Angeles in the National League Championship Series. Leaving him after five innings was not a sign of failure. It was a choice to protect a lead while the roster still had several high-leverage options available.
Tampa Bay finally broke through in the fourth. Jonathan Aranda walked, Junior Caminero hit a hard double that carried over Garrett Mitchell's reach, and Liam Hicks brought Aranda home on a groundout. The inning showed that the Rays could manufacture offense without waiting for a home run. It also showed the limit of that approach: a groundout produced one run, but Milwaukee avoided the bigger inning that might have changed the entire game.
Misiorowski's most valuable quality was not simply throwing harder than anyone else. He kept the ball in the park, prevented the fourth from becoming a rally, and handed his bullpen a lead. On a night when every run mattered, five controlled innings were enough.
A reversed double play forced Megill to win the ninth twice
The ninth began with Milwaukee ahead 3–1 and the game apparently under control. Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson changed that with consecutive one-out singles. Tampa Bay then used its speed: pinch-runner Jorge Mateo and Simpson executed a double steal, putting the tying runs in scoring position. Junior Caminero worked a full-count walk, and suddenly Trevor Megill faced the bases loaded.
Liam Hicks hit a grounder toward the right side. Second baseman Brice Turang ranged across, fired to rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt at second, and the relay to first appeared to complete a game-ending double play. Milwaukee celebrated. Then the review showed Pratt's foot had come off the bag as he received the throw. The out at first stood, but the force at second was reversed. Mateo scored, the margin shrank to 3–2, and two runners remained in scoring position.
That sequence created a rare psychological problem. A closer normally builds toward one final pitch, one final out, one release of tension. Megill had already experienced the release. Now he had to suppress it, return to the mound and throw competitive pitches while the stadium shifted from celebration back to dread. A defensive mistake could have become the defining moment of the opener.
Megill answered by striking out Jonny DeLuca swinging. The pitch ended the game for real and preserved the work of Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby, who had combined for three scoreless relief innings before him. It also spared Pratt from spending the night as the rookie whose foot position changed the result of a World Series game.
For Tampa Bay, the ninth was encouraging and frustrating at once. The Rays proved they could put traffic on the bases against Milwaukee's closer, but they finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. They were one hit away from a comeback that might have stolen home-field momentum. Instead, their best late chance became an illustration of how narrow the margins are in October.
Chourio's insurance run changes the Game 2 pressure
The decisive run arrived before the ninth-inning chaos. In the seventh, Cooper Pratt drew a walk and later reached second. With two outs, Jackson Chourio lined a single to bring him home. At the time it looked like an insurance run. By the end of the night, it was the difference between a victory and a tie game that might have gone to extra innings.
Chourio finished with two hits, continuing a postseason in which Milwaukee's young players have been central rather than decorative. The Brewers did not need one player to dominate the box score. Yelich's triple, Contreras's single and defense, Misiorowski's five innings, and Chourio's late contact each solved a different part of the same problem. That balance is why this team can survive an evening without a huge offensive total.
The historical stakes amplify every detail. Neither Milwaukee nor Tampa Bay has won the World Series. The Brewers last appeared in 1982, while the Rays fell short in 2008 and 2020. Milwaukee now has the first victory in a matchup between two franchises pursuing a maiden title. Historically, the winner of Game 1 has gone on to win the championship in roughly 63 percent of World Series, though that is a description of past series rather than a forecast for these particular teams.
Saturday's Game 2 creates a different pitching test. Tampa Bay plans to turn to Drew Rasmussen, who was deliberately held back from the opener. Milwaukee is set to start Logan Henderson. For the Rays, the objective is to convert the pressure they generated in the ninth into earlier runs and avoid asking for another comeback against a fresh bullpen. For the Brewers, the task is to keep turning ordinary singles, walks and smart baserunning into just enough offense.
Milwaukee's first win was dramatic, but it was not accidental. The Brewers won the early at-bats, managed the middle innings, and recovered when the ninth threatened to unravel. They now have a chance to leave home with a 2–0 lead — provided they can finish the next game without needing to celebrate twice.
The Brewers are four wins from a title no Milwaukee baseball team has ever claimed, and they took the first step in the most uncomfortable way possible. The ninth-inning replay will dominate the highlights, but the victory depended on the quieter details: Contreras cutting down runners, Chourio delivering with two outs, and a pitching staff that kept the Rays from turning baserunners into crooked numbers.
Tampa Bay leaves Game 1 with evidence that it can challenge Milwaukee's best arms, especially when it runs aggressively and refuses to chase velocity. The next question is whether those threats become runs before the final inning. For now, the Brewers own the lead, and Megill owns the last strikeout — the only ending that mattered after the first one was taken away.
