Milwaukee Brewers win their first-ever World Series
Milwaukee capped off its 4-1 victory in the Fall Classic on a night when rookie Cooper Pratt shone once again with two RBIs, and Venezuelan Jackson Chourio capped off a dream series with his 11th hit.
Jackson Chourio, one of the stars of the series, in a file photo
The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Wednesday and were crowned champions of the Major League Baseball World Series for the first time in their more than half-century of history.
Milwaukee capped off its 4-1 victory in the Fall Classic on a night when rookie Cooper Pratt shone once again, driving in two runs, and Venezuelan Jackson Chourio capped off a dream series with his 11th hit.
Chourio, 22, and his compatriot William Contreras, who drove in the final run, capped off a dream year in which they also helped Venezuela win its first-ever World Baseball Classic title.
"It's incredible —I'm speechless,", an emotional Chourio managed to say after the victory.
In contrast, the Rays — led by Mexico's Jonathan Aranda and the Dominican Republic's Junior Caminero — lost their third World Series and remain winless in the series.
Tampa Bay, which avoided a sweep on Tuesday with an extra-inning win, is one of four teams that have never tasted victory in the majors, along with the Padres, Rockies and Mariners.
The Brewers opened their trophy case in the second World Series they had played in their more than half-century of history, following the one they lost in 1982.
This year, Milwaukee has been a force to be reckoned with in Major League Baseball, starting with a regular season in which it posted the best overall record (103-59).
With the most dominant starting pitchers and a fearsome offense, the Brewers raised their game even higher in the playoffs (11-2), where they routed the Los Angeles Dodgers, led by Shohei Ohtani, who were favored to win a third consecutive title.
In the World Series, they came close to completing another sweep — which would have been their first since 2012 — but Tampa Bay pulled off a miracle comeback in the 12th inning of Game 4.
The Rays saved face, but they still needed three more wins to complete a comeback that no one has ever achieved in a World Series.
Less than 24 hours later, the Brewers returned to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg (Florida) determined to make the most of their second chance.
A record-breaking rookie
It took the visitors just two at-bats to break through starter Drew Rasmussen's wall. With his first hit, Pratt drove in Brice Turang to open the scoring at Tropicana Field.
The Brewers pulled ahead in the fifth inning during an offensive rally in which Pratt recorded his second hit.
With that hit, he became the first rookie to get a hit in six consecutive at-bats in the Fall Classic.
Pratt, who had just made his major league debut in June, scored the run in the 2-0 game for Milwaukee on a single by David Hamilton.
In the sixth inning, Venezuelan Contreras stepped up to the plate, another key player for the Brewers in the postseason.
The catcher from Puerto Cabello hit a double to left field to drive in Christian Yelich and then drove in the fourth run after a sacrifice fly by Pratt.
On a disastrous night for Caminero, Aranda and the Cuban Yandy Díaz, who managed just one hit between the three of them, the Rays didn't get on the board until the final inning on a double by Chandler Simpson.
With information from AFP
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