The Milwaukee Brewers came from four runs down to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 in Game 2 of the World Series, taking a 2-0 lead in the series in front of 43,245 at American Family Field.
Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt both caused the problem and solved it, committing the first-inning error that opened the door for Tampa Bay before driving in the go-ahead run in the seventh.
Four Down Before the First Inning Was Out
Pratt bounced a throw on Yandy Diaz’s leadoff grounder, and Tampa Bay took full advantage. Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer and two further run-scoring singles followed, leaving Milwaukee 4-0 behind with starter Logan Henderson unable to stop it.
Milwaukee’s response began immediately. RBI singles from William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell in the bottom of the first cut it to 4-2, Contreras capitalising after Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda dropped a catchable foul pop.
“Our offense is built to chip away and wear on pitchers,” Sal Frelick said of the approach while four runs adrift.
Tampa Bay’s Defence Gives It Back
Aranda’s afternoon got worse. In the fourth he misplayed David Hamilton’s grounder, allowing a run and narrowing the margin to a single run at 4-3.
Frelick levelled it in the sixth, leading off the inning with a solo homer off reliever Ian Seymour. It was his first left-on-left home run since Opening Day.
The seventh belonged to Pratt. Facing Kevin Kelly with Brice Turang in scoring position, he singled to put Milwaukee ahead, then stole second. In doing so he became the second-youngest player to record both an RBI and a stolen base in a World Series game since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920, behind only Juan Soto.
“It’s nine innings for a reason,” Pratt said of the error that had put his side four behind. “My heart was racing, I’m not going to lie.”
A Team That Keeps Doing This
It was Milwaukee’s sixth comeback win of the postseason, equalling the single-postseason record, and they have now won six of the seven games in this run in which their opponent scored first.
“These guys just don’t give up,” manager Pat Murphy said. “They believe, and they don’t give up.”
The history is firmly on their side. Teams holding a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven World Series have gone on to win 80 of 96 times, a rate of 83 per cent, and the last side to recover from 2-0 down in the World Series was the 1996 New York Yankees against the Atlanta Braves.
Milwaukee’s Long Wait
The two wins have stirred memories of 1982, the last time the franchise reached this stage. Hall of Famer Robin Yount, a member of that team, has been at both games and intends to be at the rest.
“Hey, I waited 44 years for this!” he said. “I am not missing a game.”
Yount admitted the experience from the stands has been harder than playing. “I was way more nervous watching than when I played,” he said. Owner Mark Attanasio said the members of the 1982 side are heavily invested in what happens next, describing them as “really intense about wanting to see us win.”
Pratt, who was not born when the Brewers last played a World Series game, said of Yount watching on: “He enjoyed watching me play.”
The series now moves 1,200 miles to St. Petersburg, where Game 3 takes place at Tropicana Field with Tampa Bay needing to arrest the pattern of the first two games.
