ST. PETERSBURG – The Brewers suffered a thousand fingers as they were besieged.
No one would describe Milwaukee’s emphatic exit on Monday — a 10-1 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the World Series — as “close.” Not since 2015 has there been a bigger margin of victory in a World Series game. The Brewers’ 16-to-3 hitting advantage over the Rays was the third-largest in Fall Classic history. I started Robert Gasser allowed only one hit and at least during the six most famous innings, the first left to do so in the World University game with Sandy Koufax in 1965, a large collection of Brewer fans, estimated at 30% of the crowd, was there to see everyone, their voices joyfully hoarse from the end.
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It was a shell of historic proportions.
But Milwaukee’s bid to take a 3-0 series lead, which puts this franchise on the brink of its first championship, earned it the edge in a bang-bang play that will long be remembered in Badger State.
A double in the top of the fifth put runners on first and second against Tampa Bay starter Freddy Peralta. Milwaukee catcher William Contreras, Caesar’s best in these playoffs, ripped a two-hopper to third baseman Junior Caminero. On the motion of the ball, Tampa’s talented pitcher grabbed the ball and knocked it over second baseman Ben Williamson as Christian Yelich slid fully into the bag. Dan Bellino punched the referee. The fox graphic disappeared from the screen. Many members of Tampa Bay’s hype team are slowly on the outfield track between innings for some kind of fake.
Yelich stuck his left hand to the diamond and his right stuck to the pockets.
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“Safe, dear.”
Safe indeed.
The brewers challenged the call. Before Bellino could announce his exit, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was already heading to the mound to pull Peralta.
But nothing was to be done at that point, as the inevitable was lacking.
“The whole game changed when Yeli was safe at second,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy insisted afterward. “That’s a driving story. When your leader makes that story, that says it all. The game changed because he did a little bit that everybody can do.”
Yelich, beating a throw to second, threw a dead throw into the lifeline. The floodgates soon erupted, snatching Tampa’s next pitcher, Cam Booser. On a 2-2 count, he served up a fastball up the middle of the zone to second baseman Brice Turang, who hit a single off shortstop Taylor Wall and into the outfield. Milwaukee’s lead was doubled to 4-0.
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When a notable road incident – a bar on the street sold out of Miller Lite before the first pitch – went berserk, Fox threw in a radio fan who could be seen saying to his partner a hard and humble performance: “This is the streak.”
Rome, though there is no doubt. And then some.
Their next five batmules all found grass, with each subsequent blow eliciting sounds from the marching armada of the Wisconsinites and growling louder. In total, the Brewers connected on seven consecutive two-out hits to plate eight two runs, a World Series feat. It was a hot season and a fitting performance from the Brewers’ arrogantly selfless offense that prioritized the passing staff over hitting big flies at all times.
“No one wants to be a hero,” boasted hitting coach Dan Vogelbach.
This might be true, but Yelich, with his insane second offense, was the under-the-radar hero of this evening.
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Contreras hit in his right hand at the plate and with a runner on second, Ryan Vilade’s first strikeout streaked to second, but Yelich didn’t hold it in. That allowed Master Brewer to bring a much larger than average first baseman. By the time Contreras snapped, Yelich was already about 30 feet from the sack, his right foot in the air ready to pounce on either side. As the ball went to Caminero, Yelich got out and broke hard at second.
“You have to understand where you are in space,” Yelich explained postgame. “You are the first to be produced [lead] if the ball is in the hole or some play is made where you can hit the shot powerfully.”
It was a basic bit of baserunning, the kind that takes years of purposeful, tedious practice to get good at. There is also an element of internal preparation: “If X happens, I will do Y”. Yelich executed this process perfectly. Caminero, who would gain a large amount of time, did not slow down Contreras at first.
“The beauty of it is that you have guys like Yeli who demand it from the group.” first-base coach Spencer Allen told Yahoo Sports about the team’s attention to detail.
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Jason Lane, Milwaukee’s offensive and tactical coordinator, explained to Yahoo Sports that he tells players to approach the secondary lead at first base and two outs with the same spirit and enthusiasm to bring themselves to the “contact play.” That’s a term in baseball for when a runner on third, lined up in the infield, makes contact with home — wherever the ball is hit.
“When you remind those guys, and they explain it to them – and all these little things that we preach about the changes that the guys are chasing – it can become something that plays in the game,” he explained.
On a team that cares deeply about the little things, Yelich, the most decorated human being, cares the most. That set the standard that helped push the Brewers to an amazing 10-1 record this season. But that crucial play, and its outcome, was more than Yelich’s impressive read and instinct. His first-to-second walk clocked in at 28.5 mph, a full tick faster than his season average. That’s 81-percent results from a 34-year-old DH with a history of back problems.
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Yelich was once a speedster before age and injuries did his thing. There is a time when the 2018 MVP has evolved into a bat-first baseclogger, a stable in the box roles. But Yelich did everything in his power to remain athletic, no matter how slow or how fast. Years of treatment, intense offseason work, healthy habits, weight room sessions — all have allowed Yelich to maintain his speed despite being plagued by injuries and his status as a primary DH.
“I have a few things that have happened to me, but for the most part, I feel pretty good,” he said when asked about speed. “I feel like I can still hang with these boys.”
The children meet.
“That baserunning by Yeli there, which allowed us to have that huge inning…” outfielder Sal Frelick said. “We really work on these things. He’s the guy who runs the meeting, that’s important. He’s 14 seasons. All-star, Silver Slugger, MVP, and nobody cares more about the offense than him. It’s just to see him do it, to be a good secondary, run as hard as he could and hit – he allowed us this big inning.”
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“They are so small – that’s what makes a big pain.”
The greater the less. If the Brewers complete the deal in Game 4, they will become the first team in the League Championship Series era to sweep both the championship series and the World Series. This month they would finish a mind-boggling 11-1, with their only loss coming in NLDS Game 3 in San Diego by one run. There is a strong argument that they are currently witnessing the most dominant postseason team in MLB history.
There is a huge gap between these Brewers and the rest of the league, yes, but one swing and one step at a time.