Milwaukee Brewers two wins away from first World Series title

The GIST: The Brew Crew won Saturday’s Game 2 in dramatic fashion, meaning they could be World Series champs before our next newsletter. Buckle up.

• Teams with a 2-0 lead in the World Series have an 81% championship win rate, and no team has ever come back from a three-game deficit, so it’s officially do-or-die time for the Rays as the series switches to a fully restored Tropicana Field for Game 3 tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

⚠️ Rays were their own worst enemy in 5–4 Game 2 loss: Saturday had a picture-perfect start for Tampa Bay, who went up 4–0 in the first inning. But the Brewers steadily chipped away at the lead until a rare home run from right fielder Sal Frelick and go-ahead single from shortstop Cooper Pratt helped Milwaukee pull off their seventh come-from-behind dub of the postseason.

• With Games 1 and 2 each decided by one run, Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby’s ice-cold outing feels even more impressive, as do his 15 ⅔ scoreless innings pitched through these playoffs.

❌ Pitchers duel headlines Game 3 matchup: Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta takes the mound tonight having only allowed one run during Tampa Bay’s previous series, while Brewers lefty Robert Gasser (aka Bobby Diesel) has been similarly excellent, also giving up just one run in his two postseason starts. Something’s gotta give.