Milwaukee beats Tampa Bay in World Series opener

The Brewers opened the series with a win

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Friday's first game of the 122nd World Series, AFP reports. Milwaukee captain Christian Yelich hit a triple, driving in one run, and scored one himself. The game was played in Milwaukee before a sellout crowd — the first World Series game in the city in 44 years. The second game of the series will also be held in Milwaukee on Saturday, after which the best-of-seven final moves to Florida.

Misiorowski's record and the course of the game

Milwaukee's 24-year-old starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski became the youngest pitcher to win a World Series opener since 1997. He opened the game with the fastest pitch in World Series history — 103.5 mph (166.5 km/h), breaking the previous record of 103.2 mph set by Aroldis Chapman of the Chicago Cubs in 2016. According to AFP, Misiorowski went 16-5 this season with an MLB-best 252 strikeouts and a best-in-the-league ERA of 1.80. In this game he recorded three strikeouts, allowing four hits over five innings and just one run. 'Not perfect, but good enough for a win,' Misiorowski said. In the first inning, Jackson Chourio singled, then scored on Yelich's triple, and William Contreras drove in the second run. Milwaukee added the third, decisive run in the seventh inning after a walk to Cooper Pratt and a single by Chourio. For the Rays, Liam Hicks drove in a run in the fourth inning after a walk to Jonathan Aranda and a double by Junior Caminero.

A dramatic finish

In the ninth inning, Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill gave up back-to-back singles to Aranda and Chandler Simpson, after which George Mateo and Simpson pulled off a double steal. Caminero drew a walk to load the bases, and Hicks appeared to end the game with a double play, but a video review showed that an errant throw knocked the runner off the bag at second base, and Mateo scored to cut the deficit. Megill then struck out Johnny Deluca and secured the win. 'Big credit to Trev — he gathered himself and made some huge pitches after that emotional surge,' Yelich said. Brewers relief pitchers Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby earlier combined for five strikeouts, allowing just one hit over three innings.

Series context

Both teams are seeking their first World Series title: the Brewers have previously reached the final only once, in 1982, while the Rays are in their third series after 2008 and 2020. According to AFP, this is only the second final in more than a century in which two teams that have never won the title face each other; the previous one was in 1980, when Philadelphia beat Kansas City. The event matters greatly to both teams' fans: winning the first game gives Milwaukee an advantage in the best-of-seven series, and Misiorowski's record and his season statistics (252 strikeouts, 1.80 ERA) make him a key factor in the matchup. In practical terms, the outcome of the series will be decided in the coming days: after Saturday's game in Milwaukee, the games move to Florida.