Brewers' 8-run 5th in Game 3 a 'knife in the chest' to Rays

ST. PETERSBURG -- It took three pitches to turn World Series Game 3 from a competitive contest into a laugher. However, there was nothing amusing about it for the Rays. The Brewers' historic eight-run fifth inning was at the center of Tampa Bay’s 10-1 loss at Tropicana Field, putting them in a 3-0 series hole. Manager Kevin Cash called the rapid unraveling “deflating,” while shortstop Taylor Walls described it as a “knife in the chest.” The Rays were on the verge of escaping the inning with zero damage done, after a couple of near misses.

With runners on first and second and two outs, Brewers catcher William Contreras hit a chopper to third baseman Junior Caminero, who managed to throw to second for what was initially ruled as an inning-ending forceout. However, upon review, it was determined Christian Yelich reached the bag before the throw arrived. Cash remarked on the decision made by Caminero, acknowledging the quick choice he made, although he suggested a throw to first base may have been the better option. Caminero insisted he had no doubts about going to second.

The infield single extended the inning, leading to the end of Freddy Peralta’s night on the mound. Left-hander Cam Booser took over, but he faced immediate trouble as his first batter, Brice Turang, hit a sharp liner that deflected off Walls' glove, allowing two runs to score. Walls reflected on this moment, calling it the game's turning point. The score quickly escalated from 2-0 to 4-0.

Things worsened for the Rays when Booser's next pitch was slapped through the left side by Garrett Mitchell, bringing home Contreras. Cooper Pratt followed with a hit that deflected off Caminero’s glove, scoring two more runs. Just like that, the score jumped from 2-0 to 7-0 in a matter of three pitches. The Rays’ hopes of winning Game 3 effectively vanished in those moments.

The Brewers weren't finished. Sal Frelick contributed with an RBI double, and David Hamilton added a line-drive single against Cole Sulser, subsequently scoring on Jackson Chourio’s double to right-center field. The inning, mercifully, concluded with Jake Bauers' flyout along a final tally of eight runs on seven consecutive hits -- all with two outs.

According to OptaSTATS, this marked the first time in postseason history that a team recorded seven consecutive hits. The eight runs from the Brewers are the most in any Fall Classic inning and the second most in postseason history for any single inning. The total is also greater than the runs scored by the Rays through three games of this series.

In light of this historic inning, the Rays face an uphill battle to claim their first World Series title. Historically, no team has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the World Series, and only one team, the 2004 Red Sox, has overcome such a daunting challenge in any postseason series. Walls stated, “Nobody's expecting you to win at this point. So just play free, go out there, do what you can to survive the at-bat, win the pitch, and see what happens at the end of it.”