Brewers Seek First World Series Title in Game 4 Against Rays

The Milwaukee Brewers will attempt to win their first World Series championship on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, when they face the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 at Tropicana Field. Milwaukee leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 after a record-setting 10-1 victory on Monday.

According to Associated Press, Milwaukee became the first team in World Series history to score eight runs with two outs in an inning.

The performance left Tampa Bay facing elimination in its first home World Series appearance in 18 years.

Milwaukee’s Historic Fifth Inning Changed Game 3

Milwaukee entered Monday’s contest following two narrow victories at American Family Field. The Brewers won the opening game 3-2 before taking Game 2 by a 5-4 margin, establishing control of the series before travelling to Florida.

The Brewers initially took a 2-0 third-inning lead through consecutive opposite-field RBI singles from Christian Yelich and William Contreras. Those hits established an advantage before the fifth-inning rally transformed the contest.

The decisive sequence followed a disputed forceout at second base. Junior Caminero fielded Contreras’s ground ball and threw to second, where umpire Dan Bellino initially ruled the runner out.

Replay umpire Alfonso Márquez reversed the decision, awarding Contreras an infield single that loaded the bases.

Milwaukee subsequently produced seven consecutive two-out hits, a postseason record, against starter Freddy Peralta and relievers Cam Booser and Cole Sulser. Brice Turang’s two-run single bounced off shortstop Taylor Walls’s glove and into shallow centre field.

Walls acknowledged the importance of the missed opportunity afterwards, telling the Associated Press: “That was pretty much the turning point in the game there.”

Garrett Mitchell followed with an RBI single through the opening created by Walls’s defensive positioning. Cooper Pratt then drove a two-run double into the left-field corner after his hard-hit ball deflected off Caminero’s glove.

Sal Frelick added another run-scoring double before David Hamilton singled home a run against Sulser. Jackson Chourio completed the sequence with an RBI double near the warning track, contributing to his four-hit performance.

The rally surpassed the previous World Series record of seven runs with two outs in one inning, established by Boston against Colorado in 2007 and matched by San Francisco against Texas in 2010, according to Elias Sports Bureau figures cited by the Associated Press.

Game 4 Pitching Matchup and Milwaukee’s Batting Advantage

Tampa Bay will turn to right-hander Griffin Jax as its scheduled Game 4 starter. The pitching assignment places him against a Milwaukee batting order that has repeatedly extended innings and capitalised on defensive mistakes.

A FantasyLabs preview reported that Jax recorded a 1.88 ERA across his six most recent outings.

He also surrendered three runs over four innings against Cleveland in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

Milwaukee’s most productive World Series hitter has been Jackson Chourio, who entered Tuesday with eight hits in 14 at-bats and three stolen bases. He has recorded multiple hits in each of the opening three games, presenting Jax with an immediate challenge near the top of the batting order.

Contreras provides another significant threat, carrying a .419 postseason batting average into the matchup. The Brewers catcher has also thrown out three attempted base stealers during the series, limiting opportunities for Tampa Bay to advance runners.

The matchup presents a specific challenge for Jax. Milwaukee’s hitters have demonstrated their ability to use the opposite field and sustain rallies after recording two outs.

Preventing additional baserunners ahead of Chourio and Contreras will be particularly important if Tampa Bay hopes to avoid another extended inning.

Milwaukee had not named its Game 4 starting pitcher in the FantasyLabs preview. Dustin May, Kyle Harrison and Shane Drohan were identified as possible options, alongside the possibility of opening with a reliever.

The Brewers also have a rested relief group. Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill did not pitch on Monday, while Milwaukee’s bullpen entered Tuesday with a 1.34 postseason ERA across nearly 54 innings, according to FantasyLabs.

Tampa Bay’s available pitching options include Nick Martinez for longer relief appearances and closer Bryan Baker, who could potentially work more than one inning. Shane McClanahan remains unavailable for the postseason because of forearm tightness.

Rays Face a Historic Challenge to Avoid Elimination

The difficulty facing Tampa Bay extends beyond Monday’s defeat. Of the previous 25 World Series teams that fell behind by three games, 21 were swept and the other four lost in five games, according to the Associated Press.

Across all best-of-seven Major League Baseball postseason series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox have recovered from a three-game deficit to win. Boston achieved that comeback against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Rays manager Kevin Cash acknowledged his team’s precarious position after Game 3, saying: “We’ve got a seat at the table. We’ve got to do something with the chip. Obviously the only thing we can do is win tomorrow.”

Tampa Bay’s offensive performance is another concern. The Rays have scored one run across their last 17 innings, according to FantasyLabs, leaving their pitchers with little margin for error.

The Rays nevertheless have experience winning a World Series elimination game at home. During their previous championship-series appearance in 2020, they won Game 4 on a walk-off single by Brett Phillips.

Jax also addressed the need to recover from Monday’s result. “We’ll just kind of forget it and try to sleep it off and come back tomorrow ready to fight,” he told the Associated Press.

Brewers’ Championship Run Features Orange County Connections

Milwaukee’s pursuit of a championship also has a connection to southern California. The Orange County Department of Education identified four Brewers players who attended local high schools: Jake Bauers, Trevor Megill, Garrett Mitchell and Joey Ortiz.

Megill, a former Marina High School player, secured Milwaukee’s opening World Series victory by striking out Jonny DeLuca with two runners in scoring position. Mitchell, who attended Orange Lutheran High School, previously hit a decisive home run during Milwaukee’s National League Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ortiz also contributed to Milwaukee’s postseason run after a midseason position change from shortstop to third base. He raised his batting average from .207 to .270 over his final 58 regular-season games, according to the education department.