The Milwaukee Brewers were THREE OUTS away from winning the first World Series championship in franchise history. They could practically taste the celebration. Then, in one of the most painful collapses imaginable, the Tampa Bay Rays ripped the victory away in the 12th inning and forced a Game 5.
Now, Milwaukee has to respond.
Game 5 tonight feels like a must-win for the Brewers, not because their season would be over with a loss, but because of what another Tampa Bay victory could do to this series. The Brewers had the Rays on the ropes, and now they have to make sure one heartbreaking loss doesn’t completely change the momentum of the World Series.
And the opportunity in front of them is MASSIVE.
The Brewers Have to Put Game 4 Behind Them
There is no sugarcoating what happened Tuesday night. Milwaukee was one out away from celebrating a championship before the Rays mounted a stunning comeback to win 4-3 in 12 innings.
For a team that had been rolling through the postseason, that kind of defeat could be difficult to shake off.
But championship teams have to respond to adversity, and the Brewers have another chance to finish the job tonight. They still lead the series 3-1, meaning one more victory would deliver the franchise its first World Series title.
The worst thing Milwaukee could do now is allow the Rays to believe they have found a way back into this series.
Tampa Bay has already shown it won’t go quietly. If the Rays win again tonight, the series heads back to Milwaukee with the pressure suddenly getting much heavier on the Brewers.
Nobody wants to see this championship slip away after getting so close.
Jacob Misiorowski Has a Chance to Become a Milwaukee Legend
Enter Jacob Misiorowski.
The young flamethrower, known as “The Miz,” gets the ball for Game 5 with an opportunity to deliver the biggest performance of his career. He has been one of the most electric pitchers in baseball, and Milwaukee needs him to give the team a chance to put this series away.
Misiorowski has already shown what he can do against Tampa Bay. In Game 1, he delivered five innings of one-run baseball as the Brewers picked up the victory.
Now, the stakes are even higher.
The Brewers need their young ace to attack the strike zone, limit the damage, and give their offense time to get rolling. A dominant start could completely change the mood surrounding this team after Tuesday night’s disaster.
Imagine Misiorowski delivering a huge performance and helping Milwaukee clinch the championship on the road. He would instantly become part of one of the most memorable moments in Brewers history.
But the Rays won’t make it easy.
The Rays Have a MASSIVE Problem on the Mound
Here is where Milwaukee could have a major advantage.
Tampa Bay had to dig deep into its pitching staff during Tuesday night’s 12-inning battle. The Rays used Griffin Jax to start the game, brought Nick Martinez in for two innings of relief, and also needed Ian Seymour to get through the game.
Several other pitchers were used as well, leaving manager Kevin Cash with some difficult decisions for Game 5.
The Rays are now turning to Drew Rasmussen on short rest, hoping their ace can give them enough innings to survive another elimination game. It is a risky situation, especially after Milwaukee knocked him out in the fourth inning of Game 2.
If Rasmussen cannot work deep into the game, Tampa Bay could be forced to rely heavily on a bullpen that has already taken a beating.
That is exactly the kind of situation the Brewers need to exploit.
Milwaukee doesn’t need to chase home runs or try to win the game with one swing. It needs to make Rasmussen work, extend at-bats, get runners on base, and force Tampa Bay to use its remaining arms earlier than planned.
The longer this game goes, the more important the pitching situation could become.
And if the Rays are forced to piece together multiple innings from a tired bullpen, Milwaukee has a real opportunity to take control.
One More Loss Could Change the Entire Series
The Brewers are still in a commanding position, but there is a difference between leading a series 3-1 and heading home after two straight losses.
If Milwaukee wins tonight, the celebration begins, and the franchise finally gets the championship it has been chasing for decades.
If Tampa Bay wins, suddenly the Rays have two more opportunities to make history, and the Brewers will have to deal with the pressure of knowing their opponent has found life when it seemed completely finished.
A loss tonight wouldn’t eliminate Milwaukee, but it would give Tampa Bay something it desperately needs: belief.
The Rays have already proved they can survive when everything appears to be against them. They have the home crowd behind them, and Tuesday night’s comeback could give them the confidence to make another push.
That is why the Brewers cannot afford to treat tonight like just another game.
They need to come out aggressive, take advantage of Tampa Bay’s pitching situation, and show that the Game 4 collapse was nothing more than one painful night.
Milwaukee Has the Opportunity. Now It Has to Finish the Job.
The Brewers have Jacob Misiorowski on the mound, a 3-1 series lead, and a chance to end their championship drought tonight.
The Rays, meanwhile, are fighting for their season and trying to navigate a pitching staff that has been pushed to its limits.
On paper, Milwaukee has a tremendous opportunity to close this out. But after what happened Tuesday night, nobody in the Brewers clubhouse can afford to take anything for granted.
One more victory would make history.
Another loss would give the Rays even more momentum and turn what looked like a comfortable championship lead into a much more uncomfortable situation.
My Prediction: Rays Win 6-4
As much as Milwaukee has going for it on paper, I’m taking Tampa Bay to pull off another upset.
The Rays are playing with nothing to lose after stealing Game 4, and that kind of momentum can be dangerous in October. Even with their bullpen heavily taxed, I think Tampa Bay finds a way to scratch across enough runs to survive another night.
I’m predicting a 6-4 Rays victory, which would turn this World Series into a completely different story heading into Game 6.
The Brewers had their chance to finish the job, but Tampa Bay isn’t ready to go home just yet.
