Rays Vow to Remain Aggressive Despite Costly Baserunning Mistakes in Game 1 Loss

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 1 of the World Series after William Contreras caught two runners stealing.

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 on Friday to take a 1-0 lead in the World Series. Despite the one-run loss, the Rays intend to maintain the aggressive baserunning style that led to two critical outs on the paths. Tampa Bay entered the contest 11-for-11 on postseason stolen base attempts but saw that streak end when catcher William Contreras threw out two runners.

The first miscue occurred in the fifth inning with two outs and Yandy Diaz at the plate. Victor Mesa Jr., who reached on a leadoff single against Jacob Misiorowski, attempted to steal third base on an 0-2 count. Misiorowski delivered a 103 mph fastball, and Contreras threw to third to end the frame. In the sixth inning, manager Kevin Cash ordered a full-count steal for Jonathan Aranda against reliever Abner Uribe. Chandler Simpson struck out on a slider, and Contreras completed a double play by throwing out Aranda at second base.

Simpson, who had only struck out once in 28 previous postseason plate appearances, recorded his first multi-strikeout game since June 9. The Rays eventually found success on the bases in the ninth inning when pinch runner Jorge Mateo and Simpson executed a double steal with one out, though they could not overcome the deficit. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday in Milwaukee.