World Series Game Three: Why Couldn't the Yankees Do This?!

Two games have been played, and the Milwaukee Brewers successfully defended their home turf, winning both games to go up 2-0 in the Fall Classic. For Game Three, the scene shifts to St. Petersburg, who is hosting a World Series game for the first time in 18 years. But wait, weren't the Rays in the World Series just six years ago. That is correct, they were. But here's the thing: it was 2020. It was the COVID-shortened season. During that year, with the exception of the Wild Card Series, anything postseason was played either in California or Texas, and that included that year's World Series, which was played entirely in Arlington, Texas that year.

So while Rays fans waited six years for this, they would actually have to wait 18 years for the World Series to actually hit the Trop. And on that evening, Freddy Peralta, the MVP of the ALCS, took the mound for the Rays against Robert Gasser for the Brewers. It was quiet for the most part, even after the Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the third inning. But a 2-0 lead doesn't last in games. Teams often do strike back, and the Rays are on their home turf.

Then the fifth inning happened.

The first three Brewers at bats: out, Chourio single, out. Two outs already. Nothing can happen on two outs, right?

Right?

Christian Yelich walks, and a William Contreras infield single loads the bases. Brice Turang drives in Yelich and Chourio. Garrett Mitchell drives in Contreras. Cooper Pratt's double drives in Turang and Mitchell. Sal Frelick's double drove in Pratt. David Hamilton drove in Frelick, and remember Chourio? He drove in Hamilton. 10-0 Brewers. Eight runs in the fifth inning--all scored with two outs. All of the juice was sucked out of the Trop in that moment. Yes, even the pulp. Especially the pulp.

The Brewers ended up winning Game Three, 10-1, after Yandy Diaz picked up a very meaningless RBI in the ninth. As I was watching this, I only had one question: "Why couldn't the Yankees do this?" The Brewers had seven hits and eight runs on two outs in the fifth inning. The Yankees had one hit total in Game One in the Trop. And here's the thing: none of Milwaukee's eight runs in the 5th inning came via the long ball. The Yankees are too busy trying to hit the ball out of the park when we should have been putting it in play like, oh say, the Brewers! The Brewers have only homered once so far in this Series, yet here they are, one win away from their first championship.

This World Series is over. The Rays have no chance in this. The Brewers have won eight straight games dating back to Game Four of the NLDS. They have been dominant in this entire Fall Classic, and it's showing. I actually thought the Rays could make it a series, especially on their home turf, but they weren't even close. They only finished with one run and three hits in this game. Jackson Chourio had four hits by himself, and two of them came in the fifth inning.

Game Four is Tuesday in St. Petersburg. We have not seen a sweep in the World Series in 14 years. The Brewers could bring out the brooms (again) on Tuesday, the same brooms they used on the Dodgers.

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