Three wins stand between Milwaukee and its first championship. Friday night at American Family Field, the Brewers edged the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in a taut World Series Game 1. A ninth-inning scare briefly brought fireworks and handshakes — until replay overturned what looked like a game-ending double play.

A sellout crowd of 43,250 stood for most of the night. It was Milwaukee’s first World Series game in 44 years, since a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. The home side left with a 1-0 series lead.

World Series Game 1 Final Score

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H
Rays	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	7
Brewers	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	X	3	8

Milwaukee scored the two runs it would ultimately need in the first inning. Jackson Chourio singled on the game’s first pitch. Christian Yelich then laced an RBI triple to right-centre, just beyond the diving glove of Rays centre fielder Jonny DeLuca. William Contreras followed with an RBI single, and the Brewers led 2-0 before Nick Martinez could settle.

Martinez was Tampa Bay’s surprise starter after the Rays pushed Drew Rasmussen back to Game 2 for an extra day’s rest. He gave up nothing more over five innings, yet took the loss (1-1). Rasmussen had been announced as the Game 1 pitching matchup preview opposite Jacob Misiorowski.

Misiorowski’s Historic First Pitch

Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski (1-0) worked five innings of one-run ball on 78 pitches. He scattered four hits, with three strikeouts and one walk. He opened the game with a 103.5 mph fastball — the fastest pitch in World Series history, according to Reuters.

Tampa Bay scratched one run across in the fourth to cut the lead to 2-1. Misiorowski worked out of trouble against a pesky Rays lineup the rest of the way. He didn’t go beyond the fifth, but he set the tone for a bullpen that refused to blink. Behind him, Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby combined with the rest of the Milwaukee relief corps for three scoreless innings with five strikeouts (Reuters), bridging to Megill’s perfect season of postseason saves.

World Series Game 1 Ninth-Inning Drama

Chourio gave Milwaukee breathing room in the seventh. His RBI single scored Cooper Pratt, making it 3-1. Contreras threw out two baserunners and won two ABS challenges along the way.

Then came the ninth. Closer Trevor Megill entered, then gave up one-out singles in a row to Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson. Pinch runner Jorge Mateo joined Simpson in a double steal, and Junior Caminero walked, loading the bases with the tying run 90 feet away.

Hicks bounced to second baseman Brice Turang. Turang’s throw to shortstop Cooper Pratt at second looked like the start of a game-ending double play. Fireworks went off above American Family Field. Brewers players started shaking hands.

Rays manager Kevin Cash challenged, though. Replay showed Pratt’s foot was off the bag at second base on Turang’s throw. The call was overturned: Hicks was out at first on the fielder’s choice as Mateo scored, cutting the lead to 3-2 with runners on second and third. Megill steadied himself and struck out DeLuca to end it, earning his fifth save of the postseason in five opportunities.

A Matchup of First-Time Title Hopefuls

No World Series since 1980 has featured two potential first-time champions; that year, Philadelphia beat Kansas City in six (NBC Sports). The Rays, making their third appearance after 2008 and 2020, are now 0-3 in World Series openers. Game 1 winners have gone on to win the World Series 77 times in 121 tries, according to USA Today.

Inside American Family Field, the atmosphere was everything the Brewers had hoped for. “They’re a big impact on these games, how loud they’ve been,” Yelich said of the fans. “The atmosphere they’ve created, it’s definitely a difference maker.”

“It’s cool to be able to provide memories for people to be able to share with their family, their kids, their grandparents, or just friends that have been Brewers’ fans over the years for decades and getting to kind of experience this together,” he added.

Tampa Bay knew the size of the test. “This team was the best team in the National League, best team in baseball for a reason,” Tampa Bay first baseman Jonathan Aranda said before the game. “They do almost everything well.”

Milwaukee finished the regular season 103-59 — the best record in the majors and the first 100-win season in franchise history. Tampa Bay finished 98-64, the best mark in the American League. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay have never met in the World Series before.

Saturday brings Game 2 at American Family Field. Rasmussen (16 wins, 2.67 ERA, a former Brewers draft pick) starts for Tampa Bay, while Logan Henderson goes for Milwaukee (USA Today). Check the Game 1 start time and TV schedule for full first-pitch and broadcast details.

Editor’s note: A Game 2 result check may follow this article once Saturday’s game goes final.