Sal Frelick tied the game with a home run and Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning, lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to a 5-4 comeback win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night at American Family Field to take a 2-0 World Series lead.
Tampa Bay Jumps Out Early Before Milwaukee Rallies From Another Deficit
The Tampa Bay Rays wasted no time putting pressure on rookie starter Logan Henderson, opening Game 2 with a four-run first inning. By following Jacob Misiorowski in the rotation, Henderson became part of the first duo of teammates aged 24 or younger to start the opening two games of a World Series since Ross Grimsley and Gary Nolan of Cincinnati in 1972. Starting on 11 days of rest, Henderson struggled as the Rays fouled off 13 of 35 pitches in the opening frame, ultimately giving up four runs (three earned) in three innings. Milwaukee’s defensive struggles surfaced immediately when shortstop Cooper Pratt bounced a leadoff throw past first baseman Jake Bauers on Díaz’s grounder for his fourth error of the postseason—marking the Brewers’ ninth miscue in 10 games.
Tampa Bay took a 4-2 lead in the highest-scoring Series first inning since Game 4 in 1993, as the two teams combined for seven hits to tie the record for the most in an opening frame. Milwaukee responded quickly in the bottom half of the inning against Drew Rasmussen, the Rays ace, who surrendered six hits and three runs over 3 2/3 innings—his briefest start since July 9—despite receiving an extra day of rest.
Sal Frelick and Cooper Pratt Deliver the Late-Inning Comeback
The Brewers completed their comeback in the sixth inning when Sal Frelick led off against reliever Ian Seymour. In a nine-pitch at-bat, Frelick launched a lefty-on-lefty solo home run over the center-field fence—his first home run in three months—completely erasing the deficit. For the first time in World Series history, the home run sent Milwaukee mascot Bernie Brewer down his 75-foot slide located beyond the left-field wall.
An inning later, Brice Turang doubled against losing pitcher Tyler Wells on the second pitch, advanced on Garrett Mitchell’s deep flyout to right, and scored when Cooper Pratt—a 22-year-old who made his major league debut in June—looped a sinker from Kevin Kelly into short right field. The win marked Milwaukee’s seventh comeback victory of the postseason and its second overcoming a 4-0 deficit, joining the team’s 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series that completed a four-game sweep.
Aaron Ashby Closes Out a Contentious Ninth Inning in Milwaukee
Protecting a one-run lead in the ninth, reliever Aaron Ashby extended his postseason scoreless streak to 15.2 innings. After Jonny DeLuca doubled, the game ended when Aaron Ashby struck out Díaz on a checked swing. The victory handed Milwaukee a 2-0 series lead heading to Florida, putting them two wins away from their first World Series title. Of the 57 previous teams to take 2-0 leads in a Fall Classic, 46 have gone on to claim the championship.
As long as there’s game left, we have a chance. I think we’ve all bought into that. We’re never out of it.
Cooper Pratt, Milwaukee Brewers shortstop
The series shifts to St. Petersburg, Florida, for Game 3 on Monday night. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash noted of his team’s situation that Rasmussen simply wasn't as sharp as he's been for quite some time.
Game 3 will feature Rays right-hander Freddy Peralta—who became a two-time All-Star while pitching for the Brewers from 2018 to 2025, served as the AL Championship Series MVP, and enters with a 2-0 record and a 1.08 ERA across three postseason starts and one relief appearance—opposed by Milwaukee left-hander Robert Gasser, who allowed just one run over nine innings in his first two postseason starts.