Jacob Misiorowski came out firing, Trevor Megill finished under pressure, and the Milwaukee Brewers opened their World Series with a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday night after surviving a tense ninth inning.
Milwaukee built enough of a cushion early and added just enough later, scoring twice in the first inning off Nick Martinez and tacking on another run in the seventh on Jackson Chourio’s RBI single. That held up even after the Rays made the final frame a full-blown test.
The ninth started with Megill on the mound and two quick singles, as Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson both reached with one out. Jorge Mateo came on as a pinch runner, and he and Simpson pulled off a double steal before Junior Caminero walked to load the bases.
Liam Hicks then appeared to ground into a game-ending double play, but a review changed everything, showing shortstop Cooper Pratt was pulled off second by the throw from Brice Turang. Hicks was ruled out on the fielder’s choice, Mateo crossed to cut the Brewers’ lead to 3-2, and the Rays still had runners at second and third.
Megill then shut the door by striking out Jonny DeLuca for his fifth postseason save in five chances.
The Brewers had handed the ball to Misiorowski, and he delivered a rough-edged but effective five innings. He gave up one run on four hits, struck out three and walked one over 78 pitches, improving to 1-0. He also made history right away, starting the game with a 103.5 mph fastball, the fastest pitch ever thrown in a World Series.
Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby kept things quiet after that, combining for three scoreless innings and fanning five.
Milwaukee’s first-inning burst came quickly. Chourio singled on the first pitch, then scored when Christian Yelich ripped a one-out triple off Jonny DeLuca’s glove on a diving try in right-center. William Contreras followed with an RBI single to left.
Tampa Bay chipped away in the fourth. Aranda opened the inning with a walk, moved to third when Garrett Mitchell misplayed Caminero’s 112.7 mph drive into a double, and then scored on Hicks’ groundout.
Milwaukee answered in the seventh to stretch the lead back to two. Steven Matz walked Pratt, who moved up on a groundout and came home on Chourio’s two-out single down the right field line against Kevin Kelly.
Martinez, who got the start with ace Drew Rasmussen pushed back to Game 2 for an extra day of rest, was charged with two runs on five hits in five innings. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.
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