Read the Brewers side (the whole game, score included)
Milwaukee at Tampa Bay
This is Missed It. Milwaukee at Tampa Bay, Wednesday, October twenty-eighth, with the Brewers. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.
Pregame
Here we are. Game 5 of the World Series, best of seven, and the Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from everything. We lead the series three games to one, and a win tonight in Tampa Bay means we take it all. The Rays, meanwhile, need three straight just to force a Game 8 that doesn't exist. The pressure is on them. We just have to play our game.
Top 1
The game opens scoreless, and neither side wastes any time getting down to business. We send three batters to the plate in the top of the first, and the Rays match us with four of their own in the bottom half. Nothing doing. No runs, no drama, just two teams feeling each other out on the biggest stage there is. Zero to zero, and the tension is already thick enough to cut.
Top 2
Then the top of the second, and this is where things start to move. One out, bases empty, and Brice Turang steps in. He gets a pitch he likes and drives it on a line to center field. Jonny DeLuca gives chase, but that ball is gone. Turang slides into second with a double, and suddenly we've got a runner in scoring position with the middle of the order coming up. The next batter works the count, and then Cooper Pratt steps in with one out and a runner on. He finds a pitch and rips it into center field. DeLuca comes charging in, the ball drops, and Turang is off to the races. He rounds third and heads for home, and he scores. We're up one to nothing. But the play isn't over. Pratt, thinking he can stretch it, rounds first and heads for second. DeLuca fires the ball in, and it's a relay circus: center fielder to third baseman Junior Caminero, to second baseman Ben Williamson, to first baseman Jonathan Aranda, to shortstop Taylor Walls. Pratt is caught in between, and he's tagged out. But Sal Frelick, who was on base ahead of him, advances to third. So we get the run, we lose the runner, and we're up one to nothing after the top of the second.
Bot 2
The Rays come up in the bottom of the second, and they go quietly. Three batters, no runs, and we're still holding that one-run lead. Our pitcher is dealing, the defense is sharp, and the crowd in Tampa Bay is starting to get restless. They came here expecting a fight, and we're giving them one.
Top 3
Top of the third, and we send three more batters to the plate. No runs, but no harm done either. We're still up one to nothing, and every inning that passes with that lead intact is another inning closer to glory.
Bot 3
Bottom of the third, and the Rays get four batters up but can't push anything across. The score stays one to nothing, and we head to the fourth with all the momentum on our side.
Top 4
The top of the fourth is quick. Three batters, no runs, and we're back on defense with the same one-run lead. It feels like we're in control, but one run is never enough in a game like this. We need more.
Bot 4
Bottom of the fourth, and the Rays finally start to threaten. Two outs, two runners on, and Ben Williamson steps to the plate. The crowd is on its feet. If he gets a hit here, this game is tied and the whole series shifts. But he doesn't. He grounds out, third baseman David Hamilton to first baseman Jake Bauers, and the threat is over. We escape. Still one to nothing, and that's a momentum swing if I've ever seen one. We dodged a bullet, and now we've got to make them pay.
Top 5
Top of the fifth, and this is where the game opens up. One out, two runners on, and David Hamilton steps in. He gets a pitch he can handle and rips a sharp ground ball to right field. Ryan Vilade can't get to it. Cooper Pratt scores from third, Garrett Mitchell advances to second, and just like that we're up two to nothing. That's the insurance run we needed. That's the breathing room. The dugout is electric, the fans back in Milwaukee are losing their minds, and the Rays are suddenly staring at a two-run deficit with the clock ticking.
Bot 5
The Rays come up in the bottom of the fifth, and they go down in order. Three batters, no runs, and we're still up two. Every inning that passes, you can feel the weight on Tampa Bay growing heavier. They know what's at stake. We know what's at stake. And right now, we're the ones handling it.
Top 6
Top of the sixth, and we put the dagger in. No outs, a runner on, and William Contreras steps to the plate. He gets a pitch he likes and launches it to left field. Chandler Simpson gives chase, but it's no use. That ball is off the wall. Christian Yelich scores from first, and Contreras is standing on second with a double. Three to nothing. The Rays are reeling. One out later, with two runners on, Cooper Pratt steps in. He gets a pitch and lifts it to right field, foul territory. Ryan Vilade settles under it, makes the catch, and William Contreras tags up and scores. Four to nothing. Brice Turang moves to third on the throw. That's a sacrifice fly, and it's the kind of small-ball execution that wins championships. We're up four to nothing, and the celebration is starting to feel real.
Bot 6
Bottom of the sixth, and the Rays send three batters to the plate. Three up, three down, no runs. The score stays four to nothing, and we're nine outs away. You can feel it in the air. You can see it in the eyes of the Tampa Bay hitters. They know. We know.
Top 7
Top of the seventh, and we go quietly. Three batters, no runs, but it doesn't matter. We're still up four, and our bullpen is locked in. The Rays have six outs left, and they need four runs just to tie.
Bot 7
Bottom of the seventh, and the Rays get four batters up. But they can't push anything across. No runs. The score stays four to nothing, and we're six outs away from a World Series title.
Top 8
Top of the eighth, and we send three more batters to the plate. No runs, but the lead is still four, and that's all that matters now. The defense is sharp, the pitcher is dealing, and the end is in sight.
Bot 8
Bottom of the eighth, and the Rays go down in order. Three batters, no runs. Three outs left. We're three outs away from winning the World Series.
Top 9
Top of the ninth, and we go quietly one more time. Three batters, no runs. It doesn't matter. We're up four to nothing, and the Rays have one last chance.
Bot 9
Bottom of the ninth. The Rays have three outs to work with, and they need four runs. It's a long shot, but this is baseball, and nothing is over until the last out. They get two quick outs, and it feels like it's over. But then, with two outs and a runner on, Chandler Simpson steps to the plate. He gets a pitch and drives it on a line to right field. Sal Frelick gives chase, but it's no use. That ball is in the gap. Liam Hicks scores from first, and just like that, the Rays have a run on the board. Four to one. But that's all they get. The next batter makes the final out, and it's over. It's really over.
Wrap-up
Final score: Milwaukee four, Tampa Bay one. We win the World Series, four games to one. The first to four takes it, and that's us. The celebration is on. The trophy is ours. The Milwaukee Brewers are world champions.
Outro
That was Milwaukee at Tampa Bay, from the Brewers side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.
Read the Rays side (the whole game, score included)
Milwaukee at Tampa Bay
This is Missed It. Milwaukee at Tampa Bay, Wednesday, October twenty-eighth, with the Rays. You missed it? Here's the whole game, as it happened.
Pregame
It all comes down to this. The Milwaukee Brewers are in town, and they hold a three games to one lead in this World Series. One more win for them, and it's over. For us, it's win or go home, and then win again, and then win again. Three straight. That's the mountain. That's the task. Our Tampa Bay Rays have been here before, but tonight, the first pitch carries the weight of everything. The crowd is on its feet early, the air is electric, and we're about to find out if we can keep this dream alive.
Innings 1-3
The game starts quiet, the way these big ones often do. Milwaukee sends three batters to the plate in the top of the first, and they go down without a whisper. Scoreless. We come up in the bottom half, four batters, and we can't push anything across either. Zero-zero after one. It feels like a chess match, both sides feeling each other out, nobody wanting to make the first mistake. The top of the second is where it starts to slip. One out, bases empty, and Brice Turang steps in. He takes a pitch and drives it on a line to center field, past Jonny DeLuca, and he's standing on second with a double. The silence in the crowd is heavy. You can feel it. One swing, and Milwaukee has a man in scoring position. We need an out, we need to keep it right here. But then Cooper Pratt comes up, and he finds a hole. A line drive to center, and Turang is off with the crack of the bat. He scores. The Brewers have the lead, one to nothing. And in the chaos of the throw home, the ball gets cut off, and suddenly there's a rundown in the making. Pratt is caught in no man's land between first and second. The ball goes from Jonny DeLuca to Junior Caminero to Ben Williamson to Jonathan Aranda to Taylor Walls. Five gloves, one out. It's a thing of beauty, honestly, even if it's against us. But the damage is done. Sal Frelick moves to third on the play, and Milwaukee has a one-run lead. We come up in the bottom of the second, three batters, and we can't answer. The bottom of the third, four batters, still nothing. It's one to nothing, Milwaukee, and we're running out of time to find our bats.
Innings 4-6
The fourth inning starts with Milwaukee sending three more batters to the plate, and we hold them. No runs. We need a spark. We need something. In the bottom of the fourth, we get a little life. Two outs, two on, and Ben Williamson steps to the plate. This is the moment. The crowd is up, the noise is building, and Williamson gets a pitch he can handle. He swings, and it's a ground ball to third. David Hamilton fields it cleanly, fires to first, and the inning is over. The runners are left stranded. The chance is gone. One to nothing, still, and the frustration is starting to creep in.
The Sequence
The game is decided here. It is settled by the bottom of the seventh, and it starts to unravel in the top of the fifth. One out, two on, and David Hamilton comes up for Milwaukee. He takes a swing, and the ball is a sharp ground ball to right field, past Ryan Vilade. Cooper Pratt scores from second. Garrett Mitchell moves to second. It's two to nothing now, and the air has gone out of the building. We come up in the bottom of the fifth, three batters, and we go down in order. No fight. No answer. The top of the sixth is where it gets away from us. No outs, a runner on, and William Contreras steps in. He hits a fly ball to left field, deep, and Chandler Simpson is tracking it, but it's off the wall. Christian Yelich scores. Three to nothing. The Brewers are pouring it on now, and we can't stop the bleeding. One out later, two on, and Cooper Pratt comes up again. He lifts a sacrifice fly to right field, foul territory, and Ryan Vilade makes the catch. William Contreras tags and scores. Four to nothing. Brice Turang moves to third. The inning ends, but the damage is done. We come up in the bottom of the sixth, three batters, and we go down quietly. The bottom of the seventh, four batters, still nothing. The bottom of the eighth, three batters, nothing. It's four to nothing, and the end is near. The crowd is still here, but the hope is fading. We get one last chance in the bottom of the ninth. Two outs, a runner on, and Chandler Simpson steps to the plate. He swings, and the ball is a line drive to right field, past Sal Frelick. Liam Hicks scores from first. Four to one. A run. A pulse. But it's too little, too late. The next batter makes the final out, and it's over.
Wrap-up
The final is Milwaukee four, Tampa Bay one. The Brewers win the World Series, four games to one. It hurts. It hurts a lot. We came up short on the biggest stage, and now the season is over. The celebration is theirs, not ours. We fought, we pushed, but it wasn't enough. The series ends, and we're left with the sting of what could have been.
Outro
That was Milwaukee at Tampa Bay, from the Rays side. This has been Missed It. Every game, both sides, at missed it dot net. Produced by James Barrett.