Brewers rally past Rays 5-4 in World Series Game 2, lead series 2-0

What happened in World Series Game 2?

The Milwaukee Brewers fell behind by four runs before they took a swing on Saturday night, then spent the next eight innings taking the game back. Milwaukee beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 at American Family Field to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series, according to ESPN's final box score. The crowd was listed at 43,245.

Tampa Bay's runs all came in the first inning. After that, the Rays went scoreless for eight straight innings against a Brewers bullpen that took over in the fourth. Milwaukee scored two in the first, one in the fourth, one in the sixth and the winner in the seventh.

The win follows Milwaukee's 3-2 victory in Friday's opener, which NewsCubby broke down in its Game 1 briefing. Both games were decided by one run, and in both the Rays put the tying run on base late without bringing it home.

How did the Rays score four runs in the first inning?

The game opened with a mistake. Yandy Díaz hit a ground ball to shortstop, and Pratt's throw to first bounced and got away, letting Díaz reach and move up to second, according to ESPN's play-by-play. Brewers starter Logan Henderson struck out Jonathan Aranda for the first out, but the next three hitters did the damage.

Chandler Simpson singled up the middle to score Díaz, then stole second. Junior Caminero lined a single down the left-field line to bring Simpson home. Then Hicks, Tampa Bay's catcher, drove a two-run homer to right-center field that Statcast projected at 411 feet, according to MLB.com.

That swing mattered for more than the scoreboard. MLB.com noted that Game 1 had been a small-ball game with 12 singles, three stolen bases and no home runs, the first World Series opener without a homer since 2000. Hicks' drive was the first home run of the series.

MLB.com also reported that the four runs were the most the Rays had ever scored in a single World Series inning. The outlet added two numbers that made the early lead look safe: Tampa Bay was 75-17 in the regular season and 4-0 in the postseason when scoring at least four runs, and teams that scored four or more in the first inning of a World Series game had gone 20-4. Saturday's result is a loss on both lists.

How did Milwaukee come back?

The Brewers answered right away. In the bottom of the first, Jackson Chourio singled and Jake Bauers followed with a single that sent Chourio to third, according to ESPN's play-by-play. After Christian Yelich struck out, William Contreras singled to center to score Chourio. Garrett Mitchell then singled to right to bring in Bauers, cutting the deficit to 4-2 before Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen got out of the inning.

The third run came with help from the Rays' defense. In the fourth, Pratt walked and went to third on a Frelick single to right. David Hamilton then hit a ball that first baseman Aranda could not handle, and ESPN's play-by-play scored it a fielding error, with Pratt crossing the plate to make it 4-3. Rasmussen left later in the inning after walking Bauers. His final line, per ESPN: 3 2/3 innings, six hits, three runs, two walks and four strikeouts on 89 pitches. Left-hander Cam Booser got Yelich to ground out to end the threat.

Frelick tied it in the sixth. Facing reliever Ian Seymour to open the inning, the Brewers' right fielder hit a solo homer to center that ESPN measured at 408 feet. Frelick finished 2-for-4 with the home run and an RBI.

The go-ahead run came in the seventh. Turang doubled to center against Tyler Wells, and Mitchell's fly ball to right moved him to third with one out. Tampa Bay brought in Kevin Kelly to face Pratt, and the shortstop lined a single to right that scored Turang for a 5-4 lead. Because Turang reached against Wells, the official scoring charged Wells with the loss.

For Pratt, it was a turnaround. His throwing error started the Rays' four-run first; his single six innings later put Milwaukee ahead to stay.

How did the Brewers' bullpen hold the lead?

Henderson lasted three innings. ESPN's box score credits him with three hits, four runs (three earned), one walk and four strikeouts on 64 pitches, with the Hicks homer the biggest blow. After the first inning, he retired Tampa Bay without another run.

From there, Milwaukee's bullpen took over. JoJo Romero, Dustin May, DL Hall, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby combined for six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk with six strikeouts, according to ESPN's box score.

The Rays had chances. In the sixth, Hicks was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Victor Mesa Jr. singled to left, but Hicks was thrown out at the plate. Tampa Bay challenged, and the call was upheld. In the seventh, Taylor Walls walked against Uribe, stole second and reached third on a groundout, but Simpson grounded out to end the inning.

Ashby came in with one out in the eighth and got the final five outs. He struck out pinch hitter Ryan Vilade and got Richie Palacios to ground out. In the ninth, Jonny DeLuca doubled to right to put the tying run on base. Ashby struck out Mesa, got pinch hitter Ben Williamson to ground out as DeLuca moved to third, and struck out Díaz swinging to end it. ESPN lists it as Ashby's third save of the postseason. Uribe, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, got the win.

The Brewers nearly added an insurance run in the eighth. Chourio singled and stole second, Yelich walked, and the two pulled off a double steal. But on Contreras' grounder to short, Chourio was thrown out at home. Milwaukee challenged, and the call stood. By ESPN's play-by-play, the Brewers stole five bases on the night and the Rays two.

Who stood out?

**Sal Frelick.** Two hits, the tying home run and a single that set up the fourth-inning run.

**Cooper Pratt.** The error that opened the game, then a walk and a run scored in the fourth and the go-ahead single in the seventh.

**William Contreras.** Two more hits, including the first-inning RBI single. He is hitting.395 in the postseason, according to ESPN's box score.

**Liam Hicks.** The series' first home run and two RBIs, all in the first inning, before he was hit by a pitch and thrown out at the plate in the sixth.

**Aaron Ashby.** Five outs, three strikeouts and the save, with the tying run on third in the ninth.

What are the key numbers?

According to ESPN's box score, Milwaukee had 11 hits and Tampa Bay had seven. Díaz, the Rays' leadoff hitter, went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, though he scored the game's first run after reaching on the error. DeLuca was the only Ray with two hits.

Six Rays pitchers worked the game. After Rasmussen, Booser pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, Seymour allowed the Frelick homer in two-thirds of an inning, Wells was charged with the go-ahead run, and Kelly and Steven Matz finished.

Milwaukee is 103-59 this season and Tampa Bay 98-64, the records ESPN lists for both clubs. ESPN describes the matchup as a meeting of baseball's two No. 1 seeds, and it is Milwaukee's first World Series since 1982.

What's next in the World Series?

The series moves to Tampa Bay. According to ESPN's schedule, Game 3 is Monday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, and Game 4 is Tuesday, Oct. 27, also at 8 p.m. ET. A Game 5, if needed, would be Wednesday, Oct. 28, in Tampa Bay. Games 6 and 7, if needed, would return to Milwaukee on Friday, Oct. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 31, all at 8 p.m. ET. ESPN's game listing places Game 3 at Tropicana Field.

Sunday is an off day. Game 3 is Monday, Oct. 26, at Tropicana Field, with Brewers left-hander Robert Gasser scheduled to face Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta, MLB.com reported. Peralta, the ALCS MVP, has a 1.08 ERA in four postseason games, according to Sports Illustrated.

After Saturday's comeback, Brewers manager Pat Murphy said, "These guys just don't give up. They believe, and they don't give up," MLB.com reported. Murphy also compared reliever Aaron Ashby's multi-inning saves to Hall of Famer Goose Gossage: "It's unconventional. Multiple innings in relief. It's Goose Gossage-like," he said, according to The Associated Press.

For Tampa Bay, the question from Game 1 is still the question: the Rays have created chances late in both games and haven't turned them into runs. For Milwaukee, two one-run wins at home have put the Brewers two victories from their first championship.

*Reporting from ESPN and MLB.com. Compiled by the NewsCubby Editorial Desk with AI assistance and human review.*