Rays put on the brink of World Series flop by Brewers' historic 8-run, 2-out surge

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay's first World Series game at Tropicana Field in 18 years turned into a record-setter: for Milwaukee Brewers batters and Rays pitchers.

Milwaukee became the first team to score eight runs with two outs in a World Series inning, taking a 10-0 lead in the fifth on Monday night and moving toward taking a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Brewers batters strung together a postseason-record seven straight two-out hits against starter Freddy Peralta and relievers Cam Booser and Cole Sulser.

Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell and Cooper Pratt combined to drive in five runs in a three-pitch span, opening a 7-0 lead, and Jackson Chourio had two hits in the inning, giving him four in the game. Milwaukee had three doubles and four singles.

The previous high of seven runs with two outs was set by Boston in the fifth inning of the 2007 opener against Colorado and matched three years later by San Francisco in the eighth inning of Game 2 against Texas, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Of 43 teams to trail 0-3 in a best-of-seven postseason series, only the Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the 2004 AL Championship Series rebounded to win. Of 25 falling into a 0-3 World Series deficit, 21 were swept and four extended the Series to a fifth game before losing.

Coming off a pair of one-run wins at American Family Field, the Brewers took a 2-0 lead in the third when Christian Yelich and William Contreras hit opposite-field, one-out RBI singles on consecutive pitches.

Chourio singled with one out in the fifth and Christian Yelich walked with two outs. Contreras grounded to third and Junior Caminero threw to second as umpire Dan Bellino signaled a forceout. But the call was reversed in the New York replay operations center, giving Contreras an infield single that loaded the bases.

Left-hander Cam Booser relieved and Turang's 106 mph one-hop grounder bounced off the glove of shortstop Taylor Walls, who dropped to a knee and tumbled as the ball bounced into short center field and two runs scored. Booser spun his neck to watch the ball as the Brewers broke open the game with a 4-0 lead.

One pitch later, Mitchell grounded an opposite-field RBI single through the shortstop hole vacated with Walls shifted toward second for the left-handed batter. Pratt followed with a smash off the glove of diving Caminero that rolled into the left-field corner for a two-run double.

Sal Frelick sliced an opposite-field double that hit the wall on a hop in the left-field corner, scoring Pratt and chasing Booser.

David Hamilton greeted Sulser by lining a shoulder-high fastball into center for a run-scoring single and a 9-0 lead. Chourio then lofted an opposite-field RBI double that hit just in front of the warning track. Jake Bauers followed with an inning-ending flyout.

The Los Angeles Dodgers were the only prior team with eight two-out runs in any postseason inning, scoring 10 with two outs in the first inning of Game 3 against the Brewers in the 2020 NL Championship Series, according to MLB.

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