Late last night (or early this morning, depending on what time zone you were watching from), the Rays managed to stave off elimination and keep themselves alive in the World Series for a Game Five. It promised to be a pitching match for the ages, with Jacob Misiorowski getting the nod for the Brewers (fresh off throwing the fastest pitch in World Series history in Game One), and Drew Rasmussen trying to be the Rays’ hero on short rest.
The Brewers went 1-2-3 in the top of the first, but Rasmussen
had some awkward pitches in the mix. In the home half with two outs there was a lengthy pause in the game to re-groom the pitching mound after Misiorowski’s lunging delivery knocked literal chunks of dirt into the infield grass. Junior Caminero singled, but a third out quickly sent him right back to the bench.
Brice Turang got a one-out double for the Brewers in the top of the second, then Sal Frelick was hit by a pitch. The game paused again, this time while Frelich was checked by his team’s athletic trainers before being sent to first. Cooper Pratt singled, scoring Turang, before Pratt got caught in a rundown between first and second, ultimately getting tagged out for the second out of the inning. Gotta learn to dodge, buddy. A strikeout ended the inning. Another inning, another pause to groom the mound. Is the dirt really that soft, or does Misiorowski have the pointiest toes in the history of baseball? The Rays went down in order in the bottom of the inning.
The Brewers went 1-2-3 in the top of the third, with the final out being on a foul pop-up caught by Hicks. But after the Game Four gaffe where Hicks and Caminero couldn’t communicate and the ball dropped, Hicks simply allowed Caminero to collide with him as he caught the ball. Perhaps some communication would have helped? It was pretty messy, but hey, they got the out. In the home half, Yandy Diaz got two-out walk, but the Rays weren’t able to convert the baserunner.
Rasmussen had another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, which is exactly what Cash and the Rays were hoping for with him, though they’d want to keep a close eye on him as the innings progressed. With one out in the home half, Hicks was hit by a pitch for a free base. Then, with two outs, Chandler Simpson singled. Hicks advanced to third, and Simpson was able to get to second thanks to an error from Frelick. Despite the hustle, though, and the best scoring opportunity of the game so far, the Rays weren’t able to bring a runner home. So help me, if this is a single-run game, I’m going to lose my mind.
Rasmussen was, indeed, on a short leash, pulled after the fourth inning. That feels, perhaps, premature (which wouldn’t be unusual for Cash in the World Series), but so it goes. His final line for the game was 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K on 48 pitches. Kevin Kelly came in to replace him. Cooper Pratt got a one-out single. Garrett Mitchell then singled, pushing Pratt to third. David Hamilton then singled, scoring the second Brewers’ run of the night and making me wish I was a drinker. With two outs, Garrett Cleavinger replaced Kelly to get the final out of the inning. The Rays went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.
Things went from bad to worse in the sixth. Christian Yelich was hit by a pitch. William Contreras then doubled, bringing Yelich home. A single from Turang put runners on the corners, and that was it for Cash, heading out to get Cleavinger. Tyler Wells came in, and Turang subsequently stole second. A sac fly from Pratt brought Contreras home. Mitchell walked. Wells was pulled for Steven Matz because if there’s a shrinking chance of a next game, just use all your relievers. Matz got the final out of the inning. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, there was another long Brewers pause, this time to check on Misiorowski, who looked uncomfortable after the second out, shaking his leg. On review, it looked like he slid slightly on the mound, so perhaps all that grooming was just foreshadowing. After some consideration, he was pulled from the game. JoJo Romero came in and got the final out of the inning.
Jackson Chourio singled to get the seventh going. Jake Bauers then grounded into a double play to eliminate the baserunner. A third out ended the inning. In the home half with one out, Simpson reached thanks to a throwing error by Contreras and advanced to second. Abner Uribe came in out of the Brewers’ pen. Two pinch hitters came in for the Rays, Richie Palacios and Victor Mesa Jr., but they didn’t get on base.
Bryan Baker was the new Rays’ pitcher in the eighth, and he got the side out in order. Trevor Megill came in for the Brewers in the bottom of the inning, and he got the side out in order, though Yandy Diaz did have one nice hit, it just happened to go directly to the right fielder. Alas.
In the top of the ninth, Ian Seymour came in for the Rays and he got the Brewers out 1-2-3. The last chance for the Rays came up in the bottom of the ninth. With one out in the inning, Hicks doubled, the liner bouncing off first and confounding Bauers at first. Jonny DeLuca struck out, and it was all up to Simpson. Simpson actually came through, lacing a double down the right-field line to score Hicks. A Palacios groundout ended the inning, the game, and the World Series with the Brewers making history by winning their first-ever World Series title.
Congrats to the Brewers, and see you next season, Rays.
Final: Brewers 4, Rays 1
