They have now won nine of their 10 Postseason games, Game 2 making it seven straight. Seven of those nine wins have been on comebacks. Milwaukee's stout bullpen finished the game with six shutout innings, giving up a combined four hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts.
It's the fourth time ever in Postseason history that a team gave up four runs in the first inning then went on to win the game. The Brewers are 5-1 in one-run games this Postseason.
Teams that go up 2-0 in the World Series go on to win over 80% of the time (45-11). The last team to come back and win the World Series after going down 0-2 were the New York Yankees in 1996.
Milwaukee are just two wins away not only from their first title ever, but the ninth National League team in baseball history to possibly sweep their American League opponent in the World Series.
The Fall Classic now heads south to The Trop for Game 3 (October 26th) and Game 4 (October 27th).
Game recap and highlights
The Rays wasted no time to get on the scoreboard. Yandy Diaz advanced to second on a bad throw from Cooper Pratt to first after reaching first on what was an infield single. After Jonathan Aranda struck out, Chandler Simpson brought Diaz home with an RBI single.
Simpson stole second before Junior Caminero brought him in with another RBI single to put the team at 2-for-2 with runners in scoring position before recording the second out. Tampa previously went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position in Game 1.
The bleeding didn't stop there for Henderson and the Brewers.
Liam Hicks launched his first career Postseason home run to put the Rays up 4-0 before Brewers starter Liam Henderson got himself out of the inning.
Brewers started to respond with their own bats.
Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. After Rasmussen struck out Christian Yelich, William Contreras brought home Chourio on a textbook hit-and-run to make it a 4-1 game.
Milwaukee didn't stop. Garrett Mitchell brought home Bauers to slash the lead in half (4-2) before Rasmussen eventually got out of the inning.
Victor Mesa Jr. started the second inning with a lead-off walk. Taylor Walls bunted him over to second to give the Rays a chance to put up more runs with one out, but Henderson retired Diaz and Aranda to end the top half of the second.
He finished the night after three full innings of work, giving up three earned runs (four runs) on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts.
JoJo Romero came on in relief and got out of the fourth inning giving up just a hit.
Rasmussen had settled for the Rays, but then found himself in trouble again during the bottom of the fourth.
After walking Pratt with one out, Hamilton singled and brought him home thanks to an error by Arranda at first. Chourio grounded out to Sal Frelick, and David Hamilton over to second and third with one out.
Rasmussen proceeded to walk Bauers, effectively ending his night on the mound with the bases loaded. He went 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He had given up just three runs all Postseason heading into Game 2.
Cam Booser came in for Rasmussen and proved clutch after forcing Yelich to ground out with the bases loaded.
Brewers brought in DL Hall after Dustin May tossed a shutout fifth inning. The Rays found themselves with another runner in scoring position with two outs. Mesa Jr. singled to shallow left, but Rays third-base coach Brady Williams, known for being aggressive in sending runners, sent Hicks home.
He was gunned down by Chourio's throw from left by a mile, ultimately ending the inning rather than bringing up Walls with runners on the corners.
Then, the Brewers continued their rally.
Frelick launched his first home run of the Postseason, second of his career, to deep center off Ian Seymour to make it a 4-4 game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Seymour had only given up three runs in seven appearances on the mound this Postseason.
In what was thought to be an inning-ender, Simpson dropped a fly ball on a diving attempt to leave the runners at the corners with the Postseason's scariest hitter in Contreras up to bat.
Tyler Wells came in for Seymour and forced Contreras to hit a chopper to Caminero at third, who made the final out on a toss to first to get out of the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Abner Uribe got himself out of a jam following a lead-off walk. With two outs and Walls at third, Uribe forced Simpson to ground out to first to end the inning.
That's when the Brewers flipped the game on its head.
Following a lead-off double from Bryce Turang, Mitchell came up just short of a two-run home run on a flyout to right-center. That ended Wells' night on the mound as the Rays brought in Kevin Kelly, who immediately gave up an RBI single to Pratt.
Brewers 5-4 Rays.
Brewers' Aaron Ashby continued his dominance out of the bullpen after Uribe made the first out of the eighth. He sent the next two Rays batters down on nine pitches to send it to the bottom half of the inning.
Kelly got into trouble after runners on first and second pulled a double steal to advance to second and third with Contreras up at bat. He grounded to Wells at short, who made a play at the plate for the second out. The Brewers challenged the call, but after further review, it remained an out.
Jonny DeLuca started the top of the ninth inning with a lead-off double after making the final out in Game 1.
Ashby proceeded to strike out Mesa Jr. on a ball in the dirt and force pinch-hitter Ben Williamson to ground out, forcing DeLuca over to third.
Diaz, the best hitter in baseball with runners in scoring position, remains hitless in this World Series after Ashby sent him down on a check-swing third strike to complete the comeback.
