Brewers Set Series Record With Eight Runs in One Inning to Take 3-0 Lead

Tampa Bay Rays fans at Tropicana Field witnessed a historic collapse on Monday night as the Milwaukee Brewers scored eight runs with two outs in a single inning, a World Series first.

The Brewers routed the Rays 10-1 to take a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, extending their dominance in a matchup that has seen the visiting team win the first two games at American Family Field.

The offensive explosion began in the third inning when Christian Yelich and William Contreras hit one-out RBI singles on consecutive pitches to give Milwaukee a 2-0 lead. The momentum shifted decisively in the fifth inning when the Brewers loaded the bases on an infield single by Contreras, a call that was reversed by the replay center after umpire Dan Bellino initially signaled a forceout.

Brice Turang hit a sharp grounder that shortstop Taylor Walls dropped, allowing Turang to reach and driving in two runs. That single was the second of seven consecutive two-out hits by Milwaukee batters against Rays pitchers Freddy Peralta, Cam Booser, and Cole Sulser.

Garrett Mitchell and Cooper Pratt followed with hits on three straight pitches, extending the lead to 7-0. The Brewers added five more runs in a 17-pitch span, with Jackson Chourio contributing two hits in the inning. Chourio finished the game with four hits.

Reliever Cam Booser, who was pulled after the surge began, described the moment in the quiet clubhouse. "Worst feeling in the world, feeling like you let your team down," Booser said.

Walls, who missed the crucial stop, analyzed the play. "I'd like to have that one back. Those are plays that you'd like to make, that you expect to make even though they may be on the tougher end," Walls said. "That was pretty much the turning point in the game there."

Rays manager Kevin Cash acknowledged the historical weight of the deficit. "It's kind of that chip and a chair mentality," Cash said. "We've got a seat at the table. We've got to do something with the chip. Obviously the only thing we can do is win tomorrow."

History offers little comfort for teams trailing 3-0 in the World Series. Of the 25 previous teams in that situation, 21 were swept and four lost in five games. The only team to come back from a 3-0 deficit in any best-of-seven postseason series was the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series.

Griffin Jax, who starts Game 4 on Tuesday, plans to move on quickly. "We just got our butts kicked tonight. I don't think there's really much else to say," Jax said. "We'll just kind of forget it and try to sleep it off and come back tomorrow ready to fight."