ST. PETERSBURG -- The top of the fifth inning of World Series Game 3 on Monday between the Brewers and Rays didn’t look like it would amount to much after the first three batters.
Jackson Chourio singled with one out and then stole second with two outs. It wasn’t exactly a rally. But what followed was a historic hitting display that greatly boosted Milwaukee’s chances of going up 3-0 in the series and ruined the Rays’ plans of gaining some Fall Classic momentum inside Tropicana Field.
After Chourio’s two-out stolen base, the next eight Brewers all reached base, leading to eight runs on seven hits and a walk that gave Milwaukee a 10-0 advantage.
Christian Yelich’s walk was first. Then the Rays nearly escaped the inning when William Contreras hit a chopper to third baseman Junior Caminero, who threw to second base to get Yelich for what was initially ruled as a forceout. However, upon replay review, Yelich’s right foot made it to the bag before second baseman Ben Williamson caught the throw, so the frame continued.
And the floodgates opened against Rays reliever Cam Booser.
He relieved starter Freddy Peralta after Contreras’ at-bat, and the Brewers greeted the left-hander with four straight hits. Singles by Brice Turang and Garrett Mitchell brought in three runs before doubles from Cooper Pratt and Sal Frelick brought in three more.
Just like that, Booser’s night was done after four batters.
But the Brewers weren’t done.
David Hamilton had a line-drive RBI single against new pitcher Cole Sulser, and Hamilton then scored on Chourio’s double to right-center field. It was the star outfielder’s second hit of the inning and his fourth in the first five innings of Game 3.
With those four hits, Chourio (22 years, 229 days old) became the youngest player with a four-hit game in the Fall Classic since Joe Garagiola in Game 4 in 1946 (20 years, 240 days old).
The barrage finally ended once Jake Bauers flied out. But the Brewers had already made World Series and postseason history. They became the first team in any postseason game to have seven consecutive batters get a hit, according to OptaSTATS. Their eight two-out runs are the most in any Fall Classic inning and the second most in any single inning in postseason history.
Those eight runs are also two more than the Rays had scored during the entire series to that point.