On this day in 2016, the Cubs activated Kyle Schwarber for the World Series against Cleveland. The then 23-year-old Schwarber had missed nearly the entire season due to torn ligaments in his left knee, his only action since April being tune-up appearances in the Arizona Fall League. Nonetheless, the Cubs took the risk, and Schwarber rewarded their faith with a strong showing at the plate. He went 7-for-17 in the Series overall, hitting two RBI singles in Game 2 and going 3-for-5 in Game 7. Schwarber’s leadoff single in the tenth inning of Game 7 kickstarted the Cubs’ rally and helped clinch their first World Series title in 108 years.
1. Brewers take a 2-0 WS lead
Milwaukee is up two games to nothing over the Rays with a 5-4 comeback win in Game 2. After Tampa Bay ambushed Logan Henderson for four runs (three earned) in the first inning, the Brewers responded with two runs of their own in the home half of the inning, courtesy of RBI singles by William Contreras and Garrett Mitchell. They then added another run in each of the fourth, sixth, and seventh innings. Sal Frelick came in clutch with a game-tying home run off Ian Seymour, and the Brewers’ bullpen picked up their starter with six scoreless frames to close out the game. After an off-day today, the Series resumes with Game 3 at 7:00pm CT tomorrow.
2. First-inning history
The Brewers and Rays’ high-scoring first inning made a bit of World Series history. The Rays scored their four runs on three hits: singles by Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero, then a home run by Liam Hicks. The Brewers had four hits in the bottom of the frame. All four were singles, including Contreras and Mitchell’s RBI knocks. The seven combined hits were tied for the most in the first inning of any World Series game all-time (h/t OptaSTATS). Meanwhile, the Rays’ four-run showing was their highest-scoring inning in any World Series game in franchise history, beating out their three-run sixth inning in Game 4 of the 2020 Fall Classic against the Dodgers.
3. Ashby continues dominant run
Left-hander Aaron Ashby continues to be the star of the Brewers’ bullpen. The group’s six scoreless innings yesterday culminated with Ashby’s five-out save. He allowed just one baserunner and struck out three batters swinging: Ryan Vilade, Victor Mesa Jr., and Yandy Díaz to end the game. Ashby has now thrown 15 2/3 scoreless frames to start this postseason. That’s the second-longest streak in baseball history, surpassing Goose Gossage (1981 Yankees) and Andy Hawkins (1984 Padres). The only person ahead of Ashby is Andrew Miller, who started off the 2016 postseason with 16 scoreless frames for Cleveland (h/t MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo).
Photo courtesy of Benny Sieu, Imagn Images
Was not that confident after the 1st inning. WOW! Hot Freddy Peralta against brewers on Monday! Feeling great, do not want to come home. How about little coop making up for his error with the game winning hit. Could talk all day. Will let someone else on!
This am2nd game was a joke, sure looks as though it’s a thrown game, I smell a repeat of the 1919 Black Sox scandal.
I mean C’mon misplay after misplay combined with errors and the 3rd base coach with a ridiculous call to send a runner home with zero chance of success.
Considering the amount of gambling companies advertising it seems pretty clear to me who’s running things
Pete Rose from heaven??
mack – May I remind you who the 3rd base coach’s father is ….
Anyone can be bought or not. Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned for life in that World Series of 1919 where he hit over .350 and had no errors. His teammates however were found guilty and banned.
Last night’s game was egregious in the amount of misplays
mack – I agree with your overall point, but look at the lack of experience with the Rays … especially postseason experience.
Players are humans, not robots. The inexperienced ones often choke under pressure.
As for strategic errors, there was no MLB partnership with sportsbetting when Cash pulled Snell in 2020 so ……..
Mack that’s cherry picking stats. The White Sox didn’t throw every game. Also Jackson admitted to his part.
This fix has been obvious since playing on a beautiful 60°night with the roof closed suppressing France’s 9th inning HR.
Only got worse with sign stealing against the Dodgers and now the TB misplays. Commissioner Vince McMahon really outdid himself this year.
It the totality of all the misplays that brought me to this conclusion. Bottom line keep the gambler’s out of baseball, because right now one could easily get to this conclusion
Seems like nobody is talking about Milwaukee’s error in the 1st that started the Rays 4 run 1st.
Not to reiterate, but it’s not one instance, it’s a multiple times of misplays.
On, two even three, but how many were there? How many positions? 1st base, second (multiple) SS, left fielder
Those errors are not something that are just simply/easily “faked”/if there were “thrown plays” they wouldn’t look like that…. why would they get all the hits/take such a lead and pitch really well, only to get needled to death…. Nothing that you’re saying is really valid/makes any sense, but if that’s the “hill u wanna die on” whatever..go Crew+God Bless
UWP – This is why it’s best to not be reactionary and jump to conclusions!
Was the Brewers comeback a sure thing? Of course not.
Was it a possibility? Absolutely!!
Maxk’s post above shows what getting in bed with gamblers does for MLB. It raises questions every time weird stuff happens.
Do we want MLB to have all the innuendos the NBA has regarding gambling over the years? Of course not.
Manfred dropped the ball on this one…and Pete Rose being on the outside of the Hall of Fame looking in (well, when he was still with us) became hypocrisy once they got in bed with gamblers.
Reds – I’m 100% with you, I can’t stand the gambling relationship MLB has now. What’s even worse is the reports of players and their families receiving death threats from gamblers.
But we all know “best interests of baseball” went out the window when Commissioner Vincent was forced out.
I agree ManFRAUD almost always gets everything completely wrong and is just a corporate/money slave….. but nothing “weird” happened…. The Crew have been doing this/winning games like that all year…. But I also agree on “Pete,”…. And U can bet he’s in the Real Hall of Fame that’s for sure!!
Not that it would have mattered, but Diaz checked his swing
Bat crossed the plate and he broke his wrists….classic swing and the umpire made the right call…loved seeing Diaz stand there thinking he knew more than the umpire….Go Brewers!
Show me in the rule book where breaking your wrists or crossing the plate nullify a checked swing. It’s okay, I’ll wait.
I mean if you’re going by rulebook, it was a swing since the umpire thought it was 🤷♂️
Exactly, the rule book leaves it up to umpire discretion. The umpire decided, case closed. Just like the umpire decided 2 days ago that Caminero didn’t swing, when it looked like he did to most.
What do people think they’re proving by ending a sentence with “I’ll wait.” Cool. Wait. Sit there waiting until you turn into a statue. Or maybe do something else slightly more productive with your life. Like checking the damn rule book your own damn self.
Hahaha well said. That drives me nuts too….they want the other person to do the work for then i guess who knows.
Its always been that way.
Rays fan.
no, he didn’t
From the side view it looked like he definitely checked his swing. But from the top angle I think he clearly went….I always thought of the head of the bat cross the foul line at all its a swing? Its one of those rules that seem completely subjective and no one knows the right answer, it constantly changes.
Does Freddy Peralta still become distracted by base runners like he did as a Brewer? Asking for a fiend.
The bat crossed the plate, went past the batters box, pointed at the first base umpire and said, how you doin?
That Andrew Miller run in 2016 was pretty dominant…until it wasn’t. Hopefully, Ashby can close out the Series unblemished.
The irony of the Brewers “just putting the ball in play” against the Rays and watching the Rays trip over their own feet is…… satisfying.
Agreed….after listening non-stop in the Yankees series to game announcers talk about how the Rays don’t beat themselves, move runners over, make the right decisions, and have that invincible pitching starting with Rasmussen, its very gratifying to see them being mortal after all and blowing plays on the national stage….
“The Yankees, they’re not a good team. I don’t care what their record is. They have a lot of wild pitches. They make a lot of mistakes in the field. They don’t run the bases very well.”
Good ol’ Buck…….
Not sure about the wild pitches part. But you’re absolutely right with the other 2.
@stevedes912 it’s an old quote from a year ago… that hurt Aaron Boone’s feelings.
sour grapes
we’ll get ’em at home
Oh the grapes from Yanks fans are definitely sour. It’s laughable to read.
I mean, it’s not really sour, but when you publicly criticize a team and then do the same thing….. the team you criticized is certainly going to enjoy it.
But, I accept the label regardless. I think it’s great! Brewers in 5!
Let us know when Error in Judgement can catch an easy pop fly.
Jeez.
It’s even crazier after they committed zero errors in the entire ALCS
By the end of the top of the first I was convinced I was right, this was going to be a long series.
By the end of the bottom of the first, I started thinking… well if this ends up being a bullpen game the Rays are screwed.
By the end of the game I’m no longer thinking this will be a long series and the Brewers will end up celebrating in Florida. The Brewers might actually be invincible at the moment.
This is like the Red Sox 15 game winning streak in there’s a sense now that the Brewers are in control no matter what. They’re making very few mistakes and they aren’t really coming back to hurt them. Even that big error in the first which gave the Rays a free run… they shrugged it off. And they’re capitalizing on the Rays mistakes. Aranda makes that catch and maybe we have a different game. At this point there’s just that sense that the Brewers can do nothing wrong. If they have the lead the game may be over. I admit to being utterly impressed.
Sabe – I’ve been saying Brewers in 4 or 5 all along, here’s why:
1) Rays are made for the regular season, not postseason. Their history proves it.
2) Heavy use of analytics doesn’t work in the postseason.
3) Postseason experience is huge. Rays haven’t had it because of their constant roster churn and tendency to dump good older players.
The Brewers benefited from their sweep at the hands of the Dodgers last year, crazy as that sounds.
I’d put 10 year old Cubs news first too.
Really poorly managed game by Kevin Cash.
Dru – So what else is new? He dies and dies going by the Book of Analytics.
But he does do some things right, such as batting Junior 3rd or 4th.
As a Brewers fan from their inception it’s nice to see the baseball world getting an opportunity to see baseball’s best organization close-up. Can’t lie, I’m loving every second of it.
Baseball is going to be so sick of seeing this team win and win big, including multiple titles over the next 5-10 years.
This team has more control than any team over the youngest playoff roster in the game. The youngest playoff rotation, and bullpen. Only 1 player in their walk year (Bauers) and only 1 other position player over the age of 30 Yelich).
The sweet-spot of prime-age & experience has been reached.
3-5 more years of Miz-Henderson-Harrison-Gasser-Priester-Ashby-Hall-Uribe-Turang-Ortiz-Frelick, 2 more yrs of Mitchell, 7 more yrs of Chourio, 9 more yrs of Pratt and 10 more of Lara.
The deepest farm system in the game including the best prospect in the game (Made). The best manager (Murphy),pitching coach (Hook) and POBO (Arnold.
Sorry to pile-on baseball world, but I’ve been waiting 57 years for this time — and it’s finally here. The baseball Gods reward patience.
Probably a good idea to check yourself. This is a braggart post that will age poorly. Your comment reminds me of how the O’s fanbase felt heading into the ’23 ALDS. Things can change in a heartbeat. Injuries, regression, etc. Don’t be cocky, it’s a bad look.
This site is jam-packed with cocky posters so I’ll fit right in.
Try debating the specifics of the substance of my post rather than ignoring it and choosing the easy out of insulting the poster yourself.
When they made it 4-3, even though they were still behind, I said “they got this in the bag.” I have seen too many times where their style of up the middle, go the other way, move em over, knock em in baseball has beat my guys. 🙂
Is that you Bud? Does Bub really have a fan?
This Bud’s for you.
This is a detestable response. I did use facts. Injuries and regression happen. Mor did I insult you. You were bragging, so if “braggart post” was insulting… that’s on you. Spade’s a spade. You’re proclaiming a dynasty based on two games. Laughable. “Substance” of your post – where? It’s conjectural and full of homer opinions. Nothing to debate. Just a warning to temper your expectations.
The further you climb, the harder you’ll fall.
Oh, and I’m pulling for the Crew in this one. You’d do well to heed my warning and pump your brakes.
Of course he does.
Greatest sportsman in Wisconsin history — sorry Mr Lombardi, sorry Curly, but it’s a fact.
Founded my team, then saved my team twice, along with other small-market teams. Revenue sharing & the building of new ballparks saved the SM teams and he revolutionized the game of baseball as commissioner. He should get a medal for getting Steinbrenner to agree to revenue sharing for cripes sake. Yes there was collusion and other errors in judgment but that pales in comparison to his aforementioned accomplishments.
Bud Selig founded the Seattle Pilots?
Did he help Jim Bouton write Ball Four?
Did he teach Joe Schultz his vocabulary of two words?
While I will say I have no issues seeing a fan base that’s suffered over the years have something big to look forward to and on top of that as a baseball fan (Even if I am a Red Sox fan) I am enjoying the possibility of a smaller market smaller payroll team being a powerhouse for years to come… I will warn you not to count your chickens before they hatch.
How often have we seen pitcher who were the next big thing fall back to earth? Paul Skenes for instance went from a demon last year to merely good this year. I’m not saying this will happen to Miz but his was his first full season. Teams could figure him out, he could get injured, he could make a bad adjustment and not realize it, or simply just have trouble because he pitched 200 innings for the first time. Then there’s bullpens. Again, how often have there been unhittable arms in one year only for them to fall back to earth the next.
The Brewers are in a better place than most teams for the future. But the future isn’t written. Anything can happen in baseball and anything often seems to happen.
Bingo.
Who can forget the Dynasty that was the Nats, Marlins, DBacks…
…and Cubs.
To ThingsNStuff—
Fact:
MKE has more control over their youngest playoff roster in baseball than any team.
What it means:
Prime-age team that won’t age-out for years ahead. They can choose to keep the team together thru the arby process gaining more and more playoff experience moving forward.
Fact:
Top 3 farm system in baseball that happens to be the deepest in the game.
What it means:
MKE can selectively insert potential star talent into their controlled lineup when they want to, not when they need to, thus keeping their roster young and prime-aged.
Fact:
MKE has the best prospect in baseball developing in the upper-minors right now (Jesus Made).
What that means:
They will add another potential superstar talent to a lineup that already has Chourio locked up for 7 more years.
Fact:
MKE has a full 5-man rotation locked up for the next 3-5 years.
What that means:
No team in baseball has more control over their starters than MKE.
Fact: 2 time MOY, likely to be 3 in Murphy. 2-time executive of the year, likely to be 3 in Arnold.
What it means:
Roster-building extraordinaire. Roster performance extraordinaire.
WS appearance means an extra $30M-$50M in revenue which will likely be used to increase payroll.
The organization’s infrastructure is the envy of baseball, more specifically their amateur draft-department and especially their international department, which is why they have the deepest farm system in the game. Organizationally they have no peer.
I don’t care about Baltimore or any other false-equivalents you can muster up. No small-market team has ever been able to do what MKE has done under this FO the last 10 years, completely rebuilding their infrastructure into a powerhouse while simultaneously winning.
Now go ahead and argue against these specific set of facts instead of spouting off generalizations that try to deflect.
I see Bud fan has decided to double down on dumb rather than heed an obvious and well intended warning. Yikes. Good thing I recognize all fan bases have toads among them…
To ThingsNStuff:
Too bad you had to resort to insulting me instead of addressing the substance in any of my posts.
The baseball gods giveth and the baseball gods taketh away. I’ve been waiting as long as you have, but have learned over that time to be cautious. Let’s see if they can get the first one. Looking passed any team, let alone one that won 98 games after two outings can prove to be foolish.
Well colonel flagg, I’m not saying they have to win the title this week for my post to be correct. They have the next 5-10 years to win multiple titles. That’s the beauty of what they’ve built. Bites of the apple on steroids.
I remember how great the 1967 Red Sox were with most of their players having come up through the system, taking the Cardinals to 7 games.
But Tony Conigliaro got hit in the face, Jim Lonborg broke his leg in three places going skiing, George Scott went from .303 to .171, Reggie Smith eventually got traded, etc.
They came back in 1975, again with many of their stars coming through the system and took the Big Red Machine to 7 games.
But Jim Rice broke his wrist in the last week of the season, Carlton Fisk, Cecil Cooper, Freddie Lynn, Bill Lee, were all eventually let go.
They came back in 1986 and took the Mets to 7 games. Wade Boggs, Jim Rice, Dwight Evans, Roger Clemens, Bruce Hurst.
The future always looked bright until the sun went down. Wait until next year became wait until next decade.
You also have one of the cheapest owners in the league
@Bud Selig Fan
As a huge Brewers fan, this post is embarrassing and stupid, but not surprising given the source. Every faan base has a few. Crowing on here like we’ve won already. Win with class.
The Rays are a great team and these games have been very close. I’m glad to be on the positive side of the equation but this isn’t over. Lots of work still to do.
And 5-10 years is a century in baseball. Dude, get a grip.
TFYI.
Nothing I wrote that isn’t true. Sorry if some in the baseball world “can’t handle the truth” as Jack firmly said in a few good men. And while I’ve been off in my timeline of Brewers dominance, it’s finally here, better late than never.
The arrogance is astounding
“The seven combined hits were tied for the most in the first inning of any World Series game all-time“
Wow thats pretty cool
The Brewers offense just doesn’t Stop! I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so skeptical about whether a 4-0 top of the first would hold. Ashby is up to some special stuff, too.
Meow, you and I are all over the Ashby train!! Question, Do you think analytics have anything to do with his run?? I say , tongue in cheek as it’s just as much as gut/ eye test I feel… thoughts??
With the Brewers at this point I think they have some sort of terrible ancient magic
To give you a more serious answer, I assume the most successful coaching staffs in the majors have found some of the most optimal ways to weave in insights from both analytics and from observing the players on a daily basis. Isolating some of those sneaky little variables that the analytic models aren’t able to fully and accurately consider yet seems like a big difference-maker.
It was interesting in the post game interview. I knew in the last few weeks of regular season ashby did not get a ton of work, but he was coming in during peculiar spots. Now it makes sense. His sinker, splitter, curve nothing has changed. But he has featured a change with a new grip. He has used that quite a bit. No film on that and until players face it enough its going to be a problem to figure it out. I truly believe that is the difference. Ride it until a team hits it.
Sal #10 B/C 🦅!!! My Guy!!! Will never have to buy a bowl of chowder in Wisconsin again!!! Or cheese soup in case that’s what he likes!!!!
Brew Crew definitely in control but it’s first to 4 not 2… While I hope they can close out, the AL fan in me says Rays are not going quietly. And as a Red Sox fan is it ever over till the last out of game?? Rays fans it’s been done before down 0-2 in WS and winning it all… I’m just thankful for 04/07/13 and 18 to help me forget how true that is….
Would have been nice for the viewers if the TV broadcast had actually looked at the check swing for more than 3 seconds. Instead we got the broadcasters suggesting the ump had blown it but instead of showing the evidence they just showed the Brewers celebrating.
typical Fox
Doesnt matter if it was a swing or not. Brewers would have gotten arande out. No different than being forced to get extra outs the night prior, when camineros ‘check swing’ was pointed to the left fielder when finished.
I’m going to keep right on rooting for my Rays.
Statistically their odds aren’t good in bringing this back, but if they do, I’ll be as surprised and happy as anyone.
It’s so nice not to see those same old giant money teams in the WS for a change.
Go Rays! and if you don’t, I’ll congratulate the Brew Crew on a job well done.
“I’m a Rays fan, through and through, but I’m a realist too.”
#RaysUp ⚾️💥💕
Brew Crew built like the 90s Yankees. A never quit lineup and a great BP.
Except they don’t use steroids and their fans don’t reach over the wall to cheat.
They also didn’t keep their roof closed for a huge advantage (if they had one). The Yankees had Jeffrey Maier though.
To this day I will always say that tag up by Almora Jr. was probably the most famous tag in world series history. It was one very few positive thing Joe Buck said about the Cubs. He glazed LeBron more than the Cubs. Who is a known Yankees fan.