Brewers Score Record Eight Two-Out Runs in Fifth to Rout Rays and Take 3-0 World Series Lead

The Milwaukee Brewers put together a World Series record eight two-out runs in the fifth inning of Game 3 on Monday night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The win gives Milwaukee a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and puts the club one victory away from the first championship in its history.

The decisive rally started against former Brewer Freddy Peralta, who was replaced by left-hander Cam Booser with the bases loaded and two outs. Brice Turang worked the count and then hit a sharp grounder that ticked off the glove of Rays shortstop Taylor Walls for a two-run single. Brewers captain Christian Yelich said Turang "had a great at-bat and made it count" and "kind of got the whole thing started right there."

Milwaukee collected seven straight hits during the 25-minute inning, a new postseason record for consecutive two-out hits. The Brewers did it without a home run, which has been a theme of the series. They have outscored the Rays 18-7 while homering just once, relying instead on the grinding team offense that produced an MLB-best 103 regular-season wins and a 10-1 start to the playoffs.

Jackson Chourio led the attack with four hits. William Contreras added three, bringing his postseason total to 18, the most in Milwaukee playoff history. Hitting coach Dan Vogelbach said of the group: "They never feel like they're out of it, whether they're up or they're down."

Rookie left-hander Robert Gasser was nearly overshadowed by the offense, though his outing was remarkable. He allowed one hit over six scoreless innings, faced the minimum number of batters and lowered his postseason ERA to 0.60 across 15 innings. He is the first lefty to face the minimum over at least six innings of a World Series game since Sandy Koufax in 1965.

Veteran Brandon Woodruff, 33, the longest-tenured Brewer, pitched the ninth and recorded the final three outs. It was his first game appearance since he hurt his shoulder on July 4, and he returned after an unlikely recovery. "What better way to make your re-debut in the playoffs than in the World Series?" Woodruff said, noting he had not played in a playoff game since 2021.

History favors Milwaukee. Of the 25 teams that previously held a 3-0 lead in the World Series, all went on to win the title, and 21 of those series ended in a sweep. A Game 4 win on Tuesday night would also make the Brewers the second team, after the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, to sweep both the LCS and the World Series, and the first since the LCS moved to a best-of-7 format in 1985.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy urged caution, saying the Rays are "very, very capable." He added: "It looks like we're in the driver's seat, but it's baseball. Anything can happen." Outfielder Sal Frelick said the team will treat Game 4 "like a Game 7."

For Tampa Bay, which was playing its first home World Series game since 2008, the series has begun to feel like a buzzsaw. Third baseman Junior Caminero said through an interpreter that the Rays want to give their best, "but they're just playing better and things are going their way." A large group of traveling Brewers fans made Tropicana Field sound like a Milwaukee home game, especially during the fifth. If history holds, Tuesday could end a 56-year wait for the franchise's first World Series title.