Brewers defeat Rays 10-1, secure one win away from title

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 10-1 on Monday night, moving one victory away from winning their first World Series title.

Jackson Chourio went 4 for 5 with a double and a stolen base to lead Milwaukee's offense. Brice Turang recorded two hits, and the team recorded 16 total hits against Tampa Bay pitchers. Robert Gasser pitched six scoreless innings, allowing only one hit.

The Brewers scored eight runs in the fifth inning to take an 8-1 lead. The rally began with Chourio's single and a stolen base, followed by walks and hits from Christian Yelich, William Contreras, and Turang. Turang's two-run single came after a bouncer was overturned on replay. Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, and Sal Frelick added hits to close the inning.

Gasser retired 14 consecutive batters after allowing a leadoff single to Yandy Diaz in the first inning. He became the first left-handed starter to face the minimum 18 batters through six innings of a World Series game since Sandy Koufax in 1965. The rookie left-hander had previously been sidelined by a shoulder injury that required surgery, but he returned for the postseason.

Tampa Bay pitcher Freddy Peralta, who won MVP of the American League Championship Series, allowed five runs and seven hits in four and two-thirds innings. Rays manager Kevin Cash noted inconsistencies in Peralta's command and stated the team must win Tuesday's game to stay alive. The Rays led the American League with 98 regular season wins and swept the New York Yankees in the Division Series.

Milwaukee has won eight straight postseason games, tying the major league record. The team had previously swept the San Diego Padres in the Division Series and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Championship Series. A win in Game 4 would make them the first team to sweep a League Championship Series and a World Series since the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. The Rays have not won a World Series in 29 seasons, with their closest attempts coming in 2008 and 2020.

The game was played at Tropicana Field before a sellout crowd of 40,388 fans. Many Brewers fans sat behind the visitors' dugout. Griffin Jax is scheduled to start for Tampa Bay on Tuesday, while Milwaukee has not yet announced its starting pitcher.

The Brewers franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee in 1970. Their previous World Series appearance was in 1982, when they lost a seven-game series to the St. Louis Cardinals. Manager Pat Murphy, who is 67 years old, has led the team to this point in the playoffs.