Fireworks Too Early, Megill Just in Time: Brewers Survive a Replay Reversal to Take Game 1, and Rasmussen Has to Answer Tonight

By Hank Dalton, RF Sports Radio MLB Playoffs voice

Baseball fans, I have covered a lot of games, and I have never seen fireworks go off for a World Series win that had not happened yet. Milwaukee celebrated, Kevin Cash challenged, the stadium went quiet, and then Trevor Megill had to do the whole thing over again.

The facts

The Brewers beat the Rays 3-2 in Game 1 on Friday night at American Family Field, per the AP. Christian Yelich's RBI triple in the first put Milwaukee ahead for good, and the Brewers led 2-0 after one inning against Nick Martinez. Jackson Chourio singled home Cooper Pratt in the seventh for a 3-1 lead. Chourio and William Contreras each had two hits and an RBI, and Contreras threw out two runners trying to steal.

Jacob Misiorowski opened the game with a 103.5 mph fastball, the fastest pitch ever thrown in a World Series, per the AP. He allowed one run and four hits over five innings with a season-low three strikeouts. "The adrenaline kind of took over," he said. Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby got the Rays through the eighth. Martinez allowed the two first-inning runs and then held Milwaukee scoreless through the rest of his five innings.

Then the ninth. Jonathan Aranda, who went 3 for 3 with a walk, and Chandler Simpson singled, a double steal put runners on second and third, and Junior Caminero walked to load the bases. Liam Hicks grounded to Brice Turang, who started what was called a game-ending double play. Fireworks went off. Replay showed Pratt's foot was off the bag at second, the call was reversed and a run scored. Megill then struck out Jonny DeLuca on a 2-2 pitch with two runners in scoring position. Tampa Bay went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position. "This is an extremely confident group," Cash said.

Game 2 is tonight, Saturday, at 7 p.m. Central on FOX, per NBC Sports: Drew Rasmussen (1.29 postseason ERA) against Milwaukee's Logan Henderson (3.00 postseason ERA). The series moves to Tampa Bay for Game 3 on Monday.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: I said Brewers 5-3 and got the winner, not the score. Martinez did his job after the first inning. The problem was the Rays' bats. Zero for six with runners in scoring position wins nothing in October.

The scary part for Tampa Bay is that Misiorowski was not even sharp. Three strikeouts, five innings, and the Rays still could not cash in. Rasmussen has to be the ace tonight, because 0-2 heading home is a hole very few teams climb out of.

My call: Rays 4, Brewers 2 tonight to tie the series, then Brewers in six. That is a prediction, not a report.

What to watch next

Rasmussen's first inning, Henderson's pitch count and whether Aranda stays hot. Game 2 is tonight at 7 p.m. Central. For the Martinez decision, read Hank's Oct. 23 column on the Rays starting Nick Martinez, and follow the MLB Playoffs page through the last out.

Radio question: was Kevin Cash's replay challenge the best manager move of the postseason, even in a loss?

Sources: ESPN / AP - Brewers withstand Rays' comeback attempt to win 3-2 in Game 1; USA TODAY - Brewers vs. Rays World Series Game 1 takeaways; NBC Sports - How to watch Rays vs. Brewers Game 2; MLB.com - Key takeaways from World Series Game 1.