Milwaukee beat Tampa Bay 3-2 in Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, and the box score does not capture how close the last ten minutes were.
Brewers closer Trevor Megill loaded the bases in the ninth inning and then stranded the tying run at third. He struck out Jonny DeLuca to end it, one batter after a replay review overturned what would have been a game-ending double play.
"Megill kept his composure," manager Pat Murphy said of the long review. "When there's a challenge, do not walk off the mound. That was the biggest at-bat of the game."
A record first pitch
Jacob Misiorowski, the 24-year-old right-hander, allowed one earned run over five innings. His opening pitch to Yandy Diaz was measured at 103.5 mph, the fastest first pitch ever recorded in a World Series. He is the youngest pitcher to win Game 1 of a World Series since 1997.
"Electric," Misiorowski said. "It's everything I dreamed of. It's really cool that we got to do it here in Milwaukee."
Small-ball runs, and one big arm
Christian Yelich, William Contreras and Jackson Chourio each drove in a run for Milwaukee. Contreras was arguably the better story with his glove, throwing out two Tampa Bay base stealers.
"If anybody doesn't notice the contributions of Contreras, he was the player of the game," Murphy said.
Tampa Bay's problem was timing. Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson combined for five of the Rays' seven hits, but the team finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Manager Kevin Cash pointed to the pitches his hitters saw from Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Megill as something his club can use later in the series.
"This is an extremely confident group," Cash said. "The frustration comes from being one swing away."
History on both benches
It was Milwaukee's first World Series win since 1982, the only other year the franchise reached the Fall Classic. The Brewers have now won six straight postseason games and are 8-1 in October.
Game 2 is Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in Milwaukee, with Drew Rasmussen starting for the Rays against Logan Henderson.