The Brewers didn’t just roll past the Rays with a 10-0 cushion in World Series Game 3. They also got a moment that hit differently for Milwaukee fans: Brandon Woodruff finally walked back onto a big league mound.
With Christian Yelich and William Contreras getting things started early, the game had long since tilted out of Tampa Bay’s reach by the time Woodruff was ready to enter in the ninth inning. That opening created the perfect stage for his first appearance since July 4, and Brewers fans treated it like much more than a routine bullpen call.
“Brewers fans going crazy seeing that Brandon Woodruff is taking the mound for the 9th inning. Hasn’t pitched since July 4.”
Jon Heyman noted the reaction as Woodruff came in, and one fan also posted video of the crowd’s response as the right-hander stepped onto the field.
For “Big Woo,” the scene carried extra weight. Bob Nightengale pointed out the full-circle nature of the moment, noting: “Brandon Woodruff made MLB debut at Tropicana Field in 2017. First batter he faced was Corey Dickerson, the Rays’ first-base coach,”
Woodruff’s route back to this point wasn’t simple. He had undergone a second shoulder surgery only three months earlier, leaving his path to the World Series uncertain.
Still, he managed a 2.98 ERA and a 0.838 WHIP, with 47 strikeouts over 45.1 innings. Before the postseason, Woodruff told reporters how much he wanted to be part of Milwaukee’s run.
The Brewers are now one win away from their first World Series title. Their only previous trip to the championship series came in 1982, when they were still in the American League and fell to the St.
Louis Cardinals. Milwaukee’s last baseball championship came in 1957, when the Braves won it for the city.
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