Trevor Megill struck out Jonny DeLuca with runners on second and third to escape a ninth-inning jam, as the Milwaukee Brewers held on for a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday night, a victory that arrived only after a would-be series-defining call was overturned on video review.
Christian Yelich sparked the win early, hitting a run-scoring triple in the first inning to ignite a two-run rally that put Milwaukee ahead for good in front of a sellout crowd marking the franchise's first World Series game since 1982. Jackson Chourio and William Contreras each added two hits, including an RBI single, and Contreras threw out two Tampa Bay runners attempting to steal. Jacob Misiorowski allowed just one run on four hits over five innings to earn the win. "Not perfect, but good enough to get a win," Misiorowski said afterward.
A Ninth Inning That Had Everything
Tampa Bay, trailing 3-1 and without a baserunner since the sixth, mounted a furious ninth-inning rally against Megill. Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson singled in succession, a double steal advanced the tying run into scoring position, and slugger Junior Caminero walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Liam Hicks then hit a grounder to the right side that Brice Turang fielded before firing to shortstop Cooper Pratt to complete what was initially ruled a game-ending double play — triggering fireworks and a Milwaukee celebration that was abruptly silenced when a replay review determined Pratt's foot had come slightly off the bag as he caught the throw. With the call overturned and the bases still loaded, Megill got DeLuca to strike out to finally end the game.
"You have a big range of emotions," Brewers captain Christian Yelich said of the sequence. "It's a big credit to Trev for locking back in right there and making some huge pitches after you have that emotional dump and then have to get back on it."
Betting on History, and a Long Series Ahead
The matchup is itself a historical rarity: it is the first World Series between two franchises each chasing a first championship since 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals. Only the Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners remain without a title among current MLB franchises once this series concludes. History offers Milwaukee a modest edge beyond Friday's result — the Game 1 winner has gone on to take the title in 62.8% of past World Series — but with six games still to play, Saturday's Game 2 in Milwaukee gives Tampa Bay an immediate chance to even the series before it shifts to Florida for Games 3 through 5.
