Brewers survive ninth-inning scare to beat Rays in World Series opener

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Friday to take the opening game of the World Series, surviving a late rally after building an early lead. Christian Yelich helped establish the advantage, while closer Trevor Megill ultimately ended the game with the tying run on third base.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIhYPMbXDew

According to AFP's match report, Tampa Bay threatened in the ninth through consecutive singles from Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson. Pinch-runner Jorge Mateo and Simpson then stole second and third, and Junior Caminero walked to load the bases. Liam Hicks appeared to hit into a double play that would have finished the contest, but a replay review overturned the out at second.

Mateo scored during that sequence, leaving the Rays one run behind with runners on second and third. Megill responded by striking out Jonny DeLuca to preserve Milwaukee's victory. The finish gave the home crowd a second wait for the final out after the apparent double play had initially seemed to settle the result.

Earlier, Milwaukee had scored twice in the first inning against Nick Martinez. Jackson Chourio opened with a single, Yelich drove him home with a triple and William Contreras followed with a run-scoring single. Sportsnet reported that manager Pat Murphy had moved Yelich into the third spot in the batting order for the first time since August 3. Chourio later singled home Cooper Pratt in the seventh for Milwaukee's third run.

Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run over five innings and struck out three. His first pitch reached 103.5 mph, setting a World Series velocity record, according to AFP. Martinez recovered from the early damage to complete five innings with two earned runs allowed, Sportsnet reported. Contreras also contributed defensively by throwing out two runners attempting to steal.

The game brought World Series baseball back to Milwaukee for the first time since 1982, with Sportsnet reporting a sellout attendance of 43,250. Both clubs are seeking their first championship. Milwaukee will also host Game 2 on Saturday before the best-of-seven series moves to Florida, with the Brewers now holding a 1-0 lead.