Brewers Rally From Four-Run First to Take 2-0 World Series Lead

The Milwaukee Brewers erased a four-run first-inning deficit and beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 in Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven matchup.

Tampa Bay surged ahead 4-0 in the top of the first at American Family Field, getting an RBI from Chandler Simpson, an RBI from Junior Caminero and a two-run homer from Liam Hicks. Milwaukee did not answer with one big inning. Instead, the Brewers chipped away over the course of the night, tying the game by the sixth and then moving in front for good later on.

William Contreras got Milwaukee on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single. The Brewers then cut the deficit to 4-3 with two runs in the fourth, keeping pressure on Rays starter Drew Rasmussen and setting up the rest of the comeback. Sal Frelick tied it, 4-4, with a solo home run to straightaway center in the sixth. Cooper Pratt later delivered the go-ahead RBI single, bringing home Brice Turang with Milwaukee’s fifth run.

That was enough because Tampa Bay’s offense stopped after its opening burst. The Rays did not score again after the first inning, and Milwaukee’s pitching stabilized after a rocky start. Brewers starter Logan Henderson was charged with three earned runs in three innings, but the bullpen kept Tampa Bay off the board the rest of the way and protected the lead in the late innings.

Milwaukee finished with 11 hits to Tampa Bay’s six, a steady offensive advantage in a game that turned from early trouble into a patient grind. Both teams committed one error, but the Brewers were cleaner where it mattered most, repeatedly creating chances and eventually cashing in enough of them to overcome the first-inning hole.

The result gives Milwaukee a firm early edge in its first World Series appearance since 1982. The Brewers, who won 103 games in the regular season and are seeking the first championship in franchise history, have now taken the first two games at home against a Rays club that is also chasing its first title.