MLB – Page 48 – Worldwide Sports News

October 25, 2026

Are Brewers unbeatable? World Series dream nearly complete with 2-0 lead

MILWAUKEE — The 43,245 screaming, yellow towel-waving fans, serenaded the Milwaukee Brewers off the field Saturday evening after their latest dramatic comeback victory, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays, wondering only one thing.

When’s the World Series parade?

The Brewers pulled off a stunning 5-4 victory over the Rays at American Family Field, taking a 2-0 lead in their bid for the first World Series championship in franchise history.

Really, at this point, there may be no stopping them.

The Brewers were down 4-0 just five batters into the game, teasing the Rays that they were going to win, and then methodically came back to rip their hearts out.

Incredibly, the Brewers have trailed in seven postseason games this year by a combined score of 16-5.

And they’ve proceeded to shut out the opposition by a combined score of 23-0 to win the seven games.

The Brewers have now won seven consecutive postseason games, the longest in franchise history, and the longest including a World Series victory since the Washington Nationals in 2019.

Insane.

Really, the Rays still can’t believe what hit them.

They had their ace on the mound in Drew Rasmussen.

Rasmussen entered the game as the hottest pitcher in baseball.

He yielded a 1.05 ERA in September, giving up just three runs in 25 ⅔ innings. He was 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in October in his first three postseason starts. He had a 4-0 lead before even stepped on the mound.

And he lasted just 3 ⅔ innings, giving three of the runs right back, with six hits and two walks.

It was his shortest outing since getting pummeled by the Yankees back on July 9, giving up six earned runs in just 2 ⅓ innings in their 12-4 loss. It was only the second time in his career he threw at least 80 pitches and lasted four innings.

It was borderline shocking considering Rasmussen’s utter dominance.

Yet, there were the Brewers scratching out four hits and two runs in the first inning on run-scoring singles by William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell. They tacked on another in the fourth inning on an error by Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda.

And then, came the shocker, bringing the house down.

Sal Frelick, the Brewers’ No. 8 hitter who had hit only one homer off the 272 left-handed pitchers he has faced the last two seasons, and just four homers in 407 plate appearances overall this year, took lefty Ian Seymour deep.

Frelick, batting Seymour for nine pitches, fouling off four of them, drilled a 93-mph fastball, 408 feet over the center-field fence. Frelick sprinted and skipped around the basepaths in just 21.4 seconds, barely looking up to admire it.

The game was suddenly tied, and one inning later, the Brewers finally had their lead with rookie Cooper Pratt’s run-scoring single for a 5-4 lead.

And, considering the Brewers’ vaunted bullpen, which had produced a 1.24 ERA this postseason, the game was over.

Really, the biggest surprise of all this postseason for the Brewers has been their uncanny ability to dominate up the greatest starters in the game in October.

They beat up two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. They ripped into World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamto.

They blasted two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell. They knocked out $30-million-a-year pitcher Tyler Glasnow.

That decorated quintet failed to win a single game against the Brewers, yielding a gruesome 6.53 ERA, with only Snell lasting past five innings.

This night, they treated Rasmussen with the same utter disrespect.

Now, the teams will travel to Tampa with the World Series resuming Monday, Oct. 26 with Game 3 at Tropicana Field.

The Trop, which has become a house of horrors for visiting teams, will never look so good for the Rays.

“There's definitely little nuances at our ballpark that make The Trop unique," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We love it there, and we love our fan support. Our fan support has been second to none in this postseason run. It was loud here. I think that we can get just as loud, if not louder, at our ballpark.

“I know our group is ready to get back there … taking it back for Game 3, and really give our fans something to yell about."

The Rays, who made three outs on the basepaths in Game 1, continued their aggressiveness this night, with Chandler Simpson running on All-Star catcher William Contreras and stealing second base in their four-run first inning.

“I'm confident with the way we've ran the bases all season long and our decision-making all season long," Cash said before the game, “we're going to stay committed to that."

Oops.

They made another foolish mistake on the bases again in the sixth inning when Victor Mesa hit a single to shallow left field and third base coach Brady Williams waved home catcher Liam Hicks. Left fielder Jackson Chouro fielded it cleanly. It bounced twice to home plate. And it still nailed Hicks by five feet.

The crowd was still buzzing when Frelick stepped to the plate, and hit one of the most stunning home runs in Brewers’ postseason history.

Now, 44 years after their lone World Series appearance, the Brewers truly believe this is their year.

So does all of Milwaukee and the rest of Wisconsin.

The Brewers are coming back to Milwaukee either to play a potential Game 6 on Friday night, or to prepare for a downtown parade that will be remembered for generations.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are Brewers unbeatable? World Series dream nearly complete with 2-0 lead

October 25, 2026

Mizzou baseball finishes fall slate strong in Show-Me Diamond Duel

Freshman Milo Burton launched a two-run homer and Eric Maisonet added a solo shot in an explosive three-run seventh inning to propel Missouri baseball to a 6-2 victory over Southeast Missouri State in the second game of the Show-Me Diamond Duel.

Coming off a 3-3 tie in their tournament opener, the Tigers broke free in the late innings to secure a crucial fall victory at home against a field that featured Missouri State, Saint Louis, SEMO, Lindenwood and Central Missouri.

Trailing 2-0 into the bottom of the fourth, Mizzou generated its first breakthrough when Juliomar Campos reached on an error at third base with two outs, bringing home a pair of runs to tie the game at 2-2.

The Tigers seized their first lead in the sixth frame behind another two-out spark. After Steve Solorzano singled to center, Seojun Oh ripped a double to right field. Donovan Jordan followed with an RBI single to left field, driving in Oh to put Mizzou ahead 3-2.

Seventh-inning surge

Maisonet provided immediate insurance in the seventh with a towering solo home run to deep left field. Two batters later, Burton smashed a two-run home run to deep left-center to extend the Tigers’ lead to 6-2 and put the game out of reach.

SEMO built its early lead in the top of the second against starter Brady Kehlenbrink, capitalizing on a walk and a hit before driving a two-run double to left-center.

Mizzou’s bullpen proved dominant in relief, shutting down the SEMO offense across the final five innings. Luke Sullivan tossed a 1-2-3 fifth with two strikeouts, Zach Van Hook retired the side in order in the sixth, and Nolan Foster struck out two in a scoreless seventh.

Luke Fricker struck out the side in order in the eighth before Sam Schmidt sealed the victory in the ninth, striking out two batters to secure the win.

Key game performers

Burton went 2-for-4, with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs. Maisonet went 2-for-3 with a homerun, a double and an RBI. Campos went 1-for-3, with two RBI. On the pitching side, Fricker pitched one inning, allowing no hits, no runs and three strikeouts. Sullivan pitched one inning, allowing no hits or runs and two strikeouts. Van Hook did the same with just one strikeout, while Foster and Schmidt had two each.

Tigers fight to 3-3 draw against UCM

Mizzou and Division II UCM played to a 3-3 tie Saturday in fall ball, a game that came down to one big inning, a long stretch of quiet bats and a dropped pitch in the eighth. The Tigers got their early runs on a two-out rally in the second, then went almost silent against the D-II Mules until the late tying run.

One big inning, then not enough follow-through

UCM opened the second with a first-pitch home run, but Mizzou wasted no time answering. Steve Solorzano struck out, and Anthony Diaz was thrown out at first after the catcher dropped a third strike. Then the UCM pitcher lost the zone.

Seojun Oh, Cam Pruitt and Eric Maisonet drew walks to load the bases, and Charlie Wortham lined a deep shot to left that scored two. Khamaree Thomas worked another walk to reload them, but Ty Waid struck out swinging, and the Tigers stranded the bases loaded.

The bats went quiet from the third through the seventh

Once the second inning ended, Mizzou struggled to string anything together. Maisonet went down looking in the fourth, and Wortham struck out after a challenge on a 3-2 pitch was upheld as a strike. Thomas followed him back to the dugout. By the fifth, Waid’s strikeout was the fourth in a row, and the seventh ended without a single baserunner.

The pitching staff did enough to keep the game close. Starter Connor Jones, who did not play last year, struck out the first two batters he faced. Stephen Lewis, Dylan Curtis, Dane Bjorn, Sam Rosand and Carter DeGondea followed him to the mound. UCM still found a way to break through, taking a 3-2 lead in the seventh when a line drive smashed off the third baseman’s glove for an RBI.

A dropped pitch tied it, and the challenge system shaped the day

Mizzou found the tying run without a clean hit. Solorzano popped out on the first pitch of the eighth, then Diaz doubled deep off the wall. Oh grounded out, and with Pruitt at the plate, the catcher couldn’t hold a pitch, allowing Diaz to race home and make it 3-3. The Tigers went down in order in the ninth, and the game ended in a tie.

The challenge system was a subplot all game. Waid challenged a first-pitch strike, Wortham a 3-2 call and Oh a 3-1 count, and the calls on all three stood. Hitters are still learning when a challenge is worth using, and in a close game each one carried real weight.

Looking ahead to the spring

With the final fall games of the season under wraps, the Tigers now look forward to the upcoming spring season, where they hope to translate their hard work into regular-season success.

To read more about Missouri’s baseball team, follow @Rock MNation, @SophBleedsLA and @jackwiselo06 on twitter/X.

October 25, 2026

Liam Hicks, Rays jump Brewers immediately in World Series Game 2

The Tampa Bay Rays came into Game 2 of the World Series down a game. Five batters into Game 2 on Saturday night, they had turned their mood around.

Liam Hicks gave the Rays a 4-0 lead in the first inning with a 411-foot, two-run homer off Logan Henderson at American Family Field. It was the first home run of the series.

Henderson needed 35 pitches to get three outs.

The Brewers right-hander had been nearly untouchable at home, 8-0 with a 1.83 ERA in 12 career starts. The Rays, with a Game 2 they couldn't afford to lose, didn't care.

The Brewers opened the door for Tampa Bay with a mistake. Yandy Diaz hit a soft grounder to shortstop Cooper Pratt, who threw it away. Diaz ended up on second base. Chandler Simpson grounded a one-out single up the middle, and Diaz scored.

Then Junior Caminero went to work. He fell behind 0-2, took two balls and fouled off three pitches before grounding a changeup into left field for another run. It took nine pitches.

Hicks needed just two pitches to double the Rays lead.

They needed it.

The Brewers answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning off Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen. William Contreras singled in Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell's single brought home Jake Bauers.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Liam Hicks, Rays jump Brewers immediately in World Series Game 2

October 25, 2026

World Series Game 2, Rays at Brewers: Lineups, broadcast info, and open thread, 10/24/26

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 23: A general view inside the stadium prior to game one of the 2026 World Series between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on October 23, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Rays Lineup

Yandy Diaz – DH
Jonathan Aranda – 1B
Chandler Simpson – LF
Junior Caminero – 3B
Liam Hicks – C
Richie Palacios – 2B
Jonny DeLuca – CF
Victor Mesa – RF
Taylor Walls – SS

SP: Drew Rasmussen – RHP

Brewers Lineup

Jackson Chourio – LF
Jake Bauers – 1B
Christian Yelich – DH
William Contreras – C
Brice Turang – 2B
Garrett Mitchell – CF
Cooper Pratt – SS
Sal Frelick – RF
David Hamilton – 3B

SP: Logan Henderson – RHP

Broadcast info

Time: 8:00 PM EDT
TV: FOX / FOX ONE, Fox Deportes
Radio: ESPN Radio

October 25, 2026

Frelick and Pratt lift Brewers to 5-4 comeback win over Rays and 2-0 World Series lead

Frelick and Pratt lift Brewers to 5-4 comeback win over Rays and 2-0 World Series lead originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Sal Frelick tied the score with his first home run in three months, Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and the Milwaukee Brewers stunned the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Saturday night for a 2-0 World Series lead by overcoming a four-run deficit for the second time in the postseason.

Tampa Bay, which won the AL pennant by forcing opponents into mistakes, committed one error, made two other misplays that could have been charged as errors and had a runner thrown out at the plate.

Down 4-0 in the first inning, Milwaukee rallied for its seventh comeback win of this postseason. The Brewers also rebounded from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, completing a four-game sweep.

After losing Friday’s opener 3-2, the Rays burst ahead against rookie Logan Henderson but the Brewers started to claw back with two runs in the bottom half against Tampa Bay ace Drew Rasmussen.

David Hamilton cut the deficit to 4-3 with a run-scoring grounder in the fourth and Frelick capped a nine-pitch at-bat against Ian Seymour in the sixth by driving a fastball over the center-field fence.

Frelick had gone 103 plate appearances without a home run since his July 11 drive off Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft and had not gone deep against a lefty pitcher since opening day against Tyler Gilbert of the Chicago White Sox. Frelick sped around the bases in 18.72 seconds, half the time of some theatrical trots this postseason.

Screaming fans at the second game of Milwaukee’s first World Series since 1982 were fired up during the seventh-inning stretch, dancing to the “Beer Barrel Polka” played by Mike Schneider, an accordionist from Clinton, Wisconsin.

Brice Turang doubled against losing pitcher Tyler Wells on the second pitch of the bottom half, advanced on Garrett Mitchell’s flyout to right and scored when Pratt, a 22-year-old who debuted in June, looped a sinker from Kevin Kelly into short right field.

Abner Uribe pitched 1 1/3 hitless innings for the win.

Jonny DeLuca doubled off Aaron Ashby starting the ninth, then Victor Mesa Jr. struck out when he couldn’t check his swing. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson’s groundout advanced the runner and Yandy Díaz struck out when he couldn’t check his swing on a full-count pitch.

Ashby has three saves in the postseason while not allowing a run.

Milwaukee won its seventh straight game, becoming the fifth team to twice overcome four-run deficits for victories in a single postseason and the first since Philadelphia in 2022.

Game 3 of the matchup between teams seeking their first title is Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, where the Brewers last played in 2023.

Of the 57 previous teams to take 2-0 World Series leads, 46 claimed the championship.

Tampa Bay took a 4-2 lead in the highest-scoring Series first inning since 1993’s Game 4 as teams combined for seven hits, tying the most in an opening frame.

Still, Milwaukee improved to 13-0 in games started by Henderson, dating to his 2025 debut. He followed Jacob Misiorowski in the Brewers’ rotation, the first time teammates 24 or younger started the first two games of the Series since Cincinnati’s Gary Nolan and Ross Grimsley in 1972.

Henderson started on 11 days’ rest and struggled as the Rays fouled off 13 of 35 pitches in the first. He gave up four runs — three earned — in three innings.

Given an extra day of rest, Rasmussen allowed three runs and six hits over 3 2/3 innings in his shortest start since July 9.

Pratt made his fourth error of the postseason at shortstop, the Brewers’ ninth in 10 games, bouncing his throw past first baseman Jake Bauers on a leadoff grounder by Díaz. Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero followed with RBI singles, and Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer.

Jackson Chourio and Bauers started the bottom half with singles and first baseman Jonathan Aranda allowed Contreras’ one-out foul pop to bounce out of his mitt near netting in front of the seats.

With Bauers running on a full-count pitch, Contreras bounced an RBI single to the left of second baseman Richie Palacios, who had taken a step toward the base. Mitchell’s two-out single cut the deficit to 4-2.

Hamilton hit an RBI grounder in the fourth that bounced under Aranda’s legs for an error.

Chourio threw out Hicks from left for the final out of the sixth when third base coach Brady Williams waved the slow-footed catcher to try to score from second on Mesa’s single.

Up next

Rays RHP Freddy Peralta, who became a two-time All-Star when he pitched for the Brewers from 2018-25, starts Game 3. He was the AL Championship Series MVP and is 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA in three postseason starts and one relief appearance. He will be opposed by Brewers LHP Robert Gasser, who allowed one run over nine innings in his first two postseason starts.

October 25, 2026

Frelick and Pratt lift Brewers to 5-4 comeback win over Rays and 2-0 World Series lead

Frelick and Pratt lift Brewers to 5-4 comeback win over Rays and 2-0 World Series lead originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston