An overturned ninth-inning double play didn’t deter the Milwaukee Brewers from winning a World Series game for the first time in 44 years.
After the double play got overturned, Brewers relief pitcher Trevor Megill shut the door with a strikeout to seal a 3–2 victory. It ended Game 1 of the World Series, marking the Brewers’ return to the Fall Classic for the first time since 1982.
“That’s baseball. You got three more games to play, three more wins [to go],” Megill told reporters afterward. “And we gotta go out there and just keep doing what we’re doing.”
That’s been the story of the Brewers this season—all business from start to finish thus far. Milwaukee won a fourth consecutive NL Central title and eclipsed 100 wins for the first time ever in franchise history with a 103–59 record.
The Brewers then cleared a major postseason hurdle by getting back to the NLCS for a second consecutive year against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Milwaukee avenged last year’s sweep by the Dodgers by returning the favor this year in a sweep to reach the World Series.
Tampa Bay returned to the World Series on Friday for the first time since 2020, a 4–2 series loss to the Dodgers. The Rays hadn’t been further than the ALDS since that year, and Tampa Bay also bounced back this season from back-to-back losing seasons to make a run for the AL pennant.
“This is an extremely confident group,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters afterward. “They’re going to be fine [after the Game 1 loss]. I think the frustration comes from … we were one swing of the bat away right at the end of potentially taking the lead.”
Tampa Bay had bases loaded with one out when Megill walked third baseman Junior Caminero. Rays catcher Liam Hicks made contact, and the Brewers turned what looked like a double play at first.
Cash challenged the double play while Brewers players and fans erupted in celebration. The video review showed Brewers rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt’s foot wasn’t completely on second base, which negated that out at second.
“It looked like a close play,” Cash said, crediting Rays replay coordinator Nick Rogers for catching it. “I think Nick Rogers did a good job of recognizing that it was really close. In the moment, I don’t think he felt too strongly about it, but at that point, why not challenge it.”
That overturn gave the Rays a run by shortstop Jorge Mateo and runners at second and third base with two outs. Megill then had a 2-1 count against Rays right fielder Jonny DeLuca, but Megill then took control with back-to-back strikeouts to end the game.
It was more drama than Brewers manager Pat Murphy would have liked with his team previously on the cusp of winning. That said, Murphy praised Megill and the team for not letting the swing of events spoil the end.
“The rule is you can challenge,” he told reporters afterward. “And they [officials] got it right probably.”
“A lot of time those plays stand during the year, but now I’m sure they have every angle, and they took their time and got it right,” Murphy added. “And Megill kept his composure. We talked about it all the time: when there’s a challenge, do not walk off the mound.”
Milwaukee built an early 2–0 lead in the first inning off of designated hitter Christian Yelich’s triple and catcher William Contreras’ single. Tampa scored in the fourth inning when Hicks grounded out, and first baseman Jonathan Aranda scored.
“That first inning, jumping on them early after an eight-day layoff… I was pleased they came out ready to go,” Murphy said.
