World Series 2026: Rays come up short on coin-flip plays and defensive near-misses in Game 1 loss to Brewers

· Yahoo Sports

MILWAUKEE — In a World Series between two clubs that thrive on mastering the little things, it was only right that Game 1's most significant plays were determined by the slimmest of margins. 

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No major-league team had a better record in one-run games in the regular season than the Tampa Bay Rays at 25-14, one of the many indicators of the club's comfort when it comes to executing deftly on both sides of the ball. But on Friday at American Family Field, it was the Brewers who were on the right side of just enough coin-flip plays en route to a 3-2 Game 1 victory that gave the sellout crowd of 43,250 plenty to cheer for in the city's first World Series game in 44 years.

From the very start of Game 1, the scales seemed to tip ever-so-slightly in Milwaukee's favor. Yandy Díaz lifted the third pitch from Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski deep into right field, where it landed in Sal Frelick's glove, though it would've been a home run in 10 of 30 MLB ballparks, according to Statcast. Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson followed with a pair of singles to give Junior Caminero a golden opportunity to jump ahead early, but Caminero lined one to shortstop Cooper Pratt, who tossed it swiftly to second base to double off Aranda and end the inning.

To absolutely no one's surprise, Jackson Chourio swung at the first pitch from Rays starter Nick Martinez and dumped one into right field to lead off the game for Milwaukee, easing some of the tension that had built when multiple baserunners reached against Misiorowski. That tension transformed into ecstasy when captain Christian Yelich drove an 0-2 cutter from Martinez into the right-center-field gap. Jonny DeLuca raced over and laid out to try to make the grab, but to no avail; the ball found the grass just beyond his outstretched glove. 

"I thought Jonny covered a lot of ground right there to even make that play close," manager Kevin Cash said afterward.

Only three outfielders (Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ceddanne Rafaela and Michael Harris II) racked up more Outs Above Average than DeLuca in the regular season. The notion that he could have made a spectacular play to rob Yelich was entirely plausible. But he did not, so it was 1-0 Brewers, with Yelich scampering to third base for his first triple since July 22.

That brought Tampa Bay's infield in as it tried to limit the damage with a runner on third and just one out. So when William Contreras scalded a first-pitch cutter, shortstop Taylor Walls — whose anticipation and first step are about as good as you'll see from an infielder — did not have enough time to react. Contreras' 108.4 mph screamer tipped off Walls' glove and sizzled into left field to drive in Yelich and make it 2-0 Milwaukee. Martinez then struck out Brice Turang and Garrett Mitchell with his terrific changeup, but the feeling in the Tampa Bay dugout as he walked off the mound was a rather unfamiliar one: It was the first time since Sept. 2 that the Rays had allowed multiple runs in the first inning.

If these early near-misses on defense weren't frustrating enough, the Rays proceeded to endure a series of close encounters with run-scoring opportunities, only to cross the plate just twice by the end of the night. Caminero managed to break through in the fourth with his hardest-hit ball of the postseason, a 112.7-mph laser beam launched over center fielder Garrett Mitchell's head for a double that moved Jonathan Aranda, who'd led off with a walk, to third. That set up a Liam Hicks RBI groundout that made it 2-1, but ultimately, the fourth inning was one of several unfulfilled chances to add on more and make Milwaukee sweat.

With Díaz facing Misiorowski for the third time with two outs in the fifth, Victor Mesa Jr. attempted to steal third base on an 0-2 count, only to be cut down by Contreras with a perfect throw and an even more perfect tag by third baseman David Hamilton. 

"Ultimately, Victor is really competing, trying to do something to make something happen, put a little pressure on the defense," Cash said afterward. "And it didn't work in our favor."

That ended the inning and Misiorowski's outing after just 78 pitches, as he made way for the Brewers' outstanding bullpen to handle the final four frames. 

With Martinez keeping the Milwaukee bats quiet from innings two-through-five, another chance for the Rays' offense surfaced in the sixth, when Aranda notched a one-out single against Abner Uribe. But on a full count to Simpson, the slow-footed Aranda took off for second, counting on the contact-maven Simpson to put the bat on the ball. Instead, Uribe's slider darted down and in and coaxed a rare whiff for strike three. Aranda — the active player with the most career plate appearances without a stolen base — was thrown out at second for a caught stealing in the book, but a failed hit-and-run in reality and the end of the inning. 

Before Friday, Simpson had struck out just once this postseason, a strikeout looking against Gerrit Cole in ALDS Game 1 that required an ABS challenge to overturn a called ball into strike three. In Game 1 of the Fall Classic, Misiorowski and Uribe combined to hand Simpson his first multi-strikeout game since June 9. It was that kind of night for Tampa Bay.

After Chourio tacked on an insurance run in the seventh to make it 3-1 Brewers, the final fit of frustration for the Rays came in a chaotic top of the ninth inning. Tampa Bay managed to load the bases with one out against Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill, offering one last glimmer of hope to steal Game 1 on the road. Hicks then grounded into what looked like a game-ending double play — so much so that the postgame processes began to commence, with a horde of league officials and television crews hustling onto the field — only to have the play overturned by replay.

It turned out Pratt's foot was off second base, which meant Caminero was safe at second, and only Hicks was out at first. With that, it was 3-2 with the tying run on third and the go-ahead run on second. That glimmer had grown to a full-blown beam of possibility — but then DeLuca flailed at a curveball from Megill for a game-ending strikeout.

It's hard not to view how Game 1 unfolded as something of a missed opportunity for Tampa Bay, especially given the final margin. 

Viewed more generously, though the Rays hung tough with the NL champs without using any of their top relievers, while Milwaukee leaned heavily on its top bullpen arms, a combination that could pay dividends as the series progresses. The Rays also put together some quality at-bats against Misiorowski and Co. They did not look overmatched but simply failed to capitalize. Add the starting pitching advantage Tampa Bay would seem to have the next couple of games with Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta, and there is undoubtedly a path back into this series for the Rays. 

But against a team like the Brewers, it will take far fewer missteps than what we saw on Friday.

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