Milwaukee Brewers ride key hits and excellent defense to win Game 1 of the World Series

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Jackson Chourio reacts after his RBI single put Milwaukee up 3-1 in the seventh inning.

Baseball fans who suspected this matchup of small market teams had the potential to produce a thrilling World Series were proven right in Game 1 in Milwaukee as the Brewers took the opening game of the best-of-seven series 3-2 at American Family Field.

The tale of the tape on the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays is very similar. Both teams may lack the household names of some of their opponents with much higher payrolls, but they each earned the best record in their league playing a similar brand of baseball – a team-oriented approach with relentlessly attacking offenses, strong starting pitching and shutdown bullpens.

The Brewers offense came out swinging in the first inning Friday night, touching Rays starting pitcher Nick Martinez for a pair of runs on a triple by Christian Yelich followed by a single from William Contreras.

Milwaukee leaned on its flame-throwing ace Jacob Misiorowski, who made those two runs stand up as he worked five innings and earned his first career postseason win as a starter.

Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski allowed only one run in five innings.

The Rays cut the Brewers’ lead in half in the fourth inning with an RBI groundout from catcher Liam Hicks, but the Miz was able to avoid any further damage and stranded the tying run on third base to hold the score at 2-1.

Milwaukee added to its lead in the seventh inning with a clutch, two-out single from left fielder Jackson Chourio to drive in Cooper Pratt and tack on a much-needed insurance run to make the score 3-1.

After stellar bullpen work from Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby, Brewers manager Pat Murphy handed the ball over to star closer Trevor Megill for the ninth inning.

The Rays were not ready to go quietly into the Wisconsin night, and back-to-back one-out singles from Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson brought Tampa Bay’s All-Star slugger Junior Caminero to the plate representing the go-ahead run. After getting a fortunate call on a check swing that looked like it might have been strike three, Caminero drew a walk to load the bases.

The Rays' Junior Caminero slides into second during the ninth inning as the Brewers' Cooper Pratt tries to turn a double play. After video review, it was determined that Pratt's foot was not on the bag as he received the ball.

Hicks then appeared to ground into an game-ending 4-6-3 double play, and the fireworks went off as the Brewers shook hands on the infield grass.

But the Rays challenged the call on the field, and on replay review, it was determined that Brewers shortstop Pratt took his foot off second base an instant too soon. The double play was overturned and pinch-runner Jorge Mateo scored to make the score 3-2 with one more out left to go.

With the smoke from the fireworks still hanging in the air, Megill gathered his composure and struck out Jonny DeLuca with a nasty breaking ball to end the game.

The two teams will meet again Saturday night for Game 2 with Tampa Bay sending its postseason ace Drew Rasmussen up against Milwaukee’s Logan Henderson.

Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero, left, and some Milwaukee players watch the video screen during a play review in the ninth inning of Game 1.

We knew these were going to be close games.

How close? Try a couple millimeters between the bottom of the spike on the cleat of a rookie shortstop and the second base bag he was supposed to be touching when he turned a slick double-play to seemingly end the game.

In the end it didn’t matter. The Rays challenged the ninth-inning double-play call, won, and were awarded a run and another shot to stay alive.

Five pitches later, Jonny DeLuca struck out to end the game anyway.

The Brewers bullpen – perhaps their biggest strength relative to an incredibly similar Rays’ club – bends but does not break.

Rather than swing the outcome, the strange scene instead served to underscore what will likely become the themes of this entire series: Close games, action on the basepaths, determinative defense.

There were more double steals (1) than home runs (0) in the game. There were more inning-ending outs made at third base than either manager is probably happy about.

Already the “small-ball Series” reputation has started to feel a little heavy-handed. But Game 1 lived up to that billing.

National League Cy Young frontrunner Jacob Misiorowski earned his first career postseason win as a starter in front of a sellout crowd of more than 43,000 in Milwaukee in Game 1 of the World Series.

After the biggest win of his career, Misiorowski told Fox Sports, “It was amazing. Just to have this city behind me, it means the world, and behind this team, we just couldn’t ask for anything better. And I just want to say thank you.”

The fireballing Miz didn’t rack up the Ks Friday night, but he allowed just one run over five innings, scattering four hits and three strikeouts.

Brewers closer Trevor Megill celebrates the final out in Game 1.

High drama will be the theme of this series, all the way to the very end.

Yandy Díaz got the inning started with a weak groundout but then the Rays put together a threat.

Johnathan Aranda singled and Chandler Simpson followed suit, bringing slugger Junior Caminero to the plate as the potential go-ahead run. Facing closer Trevor Megill, it was a high-stakes matchup between one of the top closers in baseball and Tampa’s up-and-coming star.

A double-steal put Aranda and Simpson in scoring position and then Caminero worked a walk to load the bases after Megill spiked a few curveballs in the dirt.

It all turned a moment later when Liam Hicks, known for his power, stepped to the plate and promptly grounded the first pitch he saw to second base. The Brewers appeared to turn the 4-6-3 double play to end things with the bases loaded.

Replay showed that shortstop Cooper Pratt pulled his foot off second base before he caught the throw from second baseman Bryce Turang. The out call at second was overturned, allowing Aranda to score from third base and put runners on second and third.

With two outs, Jonny DeLuca came to the plate and went down on strikes, waving at strike three in the dirt.

Huge exhales in Milwaukee as the Brewers hold on!

Final score: Brewers 3, Rays 2

Rays second baseman Ryan Vilade forces out Brice Turang on a double-play attempt in the eighth inning.

With the Rays desperately needing to hold the score right where it is, the Brewers were angling for more insurance.

Milwaukee’s hottest hitter William Contreras led off the inning with his second hit of the game - a single into left field - which led Tampa Bay to make another pitching change, this time handing the ball to Garrett Cleavinger.

Cleavinger promptly waded into deeper water by walking Brice Turang. Garrett Mitchell did the Rays a favor by getting under his bunt attempt, allowing Junior Caminero to catch it on the fly and hold the runners at first and second.

Tampa Bay thought they’d escaped when Cooper Pratt grounded into an apparent inning-ending double play, but the out at first base was overturned on review and the bottom of the eighth continued.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy then turned to veteran pinch hitter Gary Sanchez, which led to another Rays pitching change.

Cole Sulser came in for Tampa Bay and induced a 5-4 fielder’s choice, with a stellar play by Caminero to field the ball on a short-hop to end the threat and send the game to the 9th inning.

Score: Brewers 3, Rays 1

Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca reacts after striking out in the eighth inning.

Another 1-2-3 inning for the Rays – who tried to get anything going against Aaron Ashby with a pinch hitter – and now the Rays have three outs left to mount a comeback.

And the Brewers have yet to go to their closer, Trevor Megill.

It’s a little boring to believe that bullpens win championships, but it certainly helps to feel like a two-run lead is insurmountable.

Score: Brewers 3, Rays 1

Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers’ followed Jackson Chourio’s clutch hit with a single that hit the chalk on the third base line, giving the Brewers runners on the corners with team captain Christian Yelich stepping to the plate.

Yelich smoked a line drive right at Tampa Bay first baseman Jonathan Aranda, who took the ball to the bag to end the Brewers’ rally and hold Milwaukee to just one run in the inning.

Damage done, but the Rays are still close.

Score: Brewers 3, Rays 1

Brewers left fielder Jackson Chourio celebrates his RBI single in the seventh inning.

Rays manager Kevin Cash sent Steven Matz out to work the seventh inning after pitching his way into and out of trouble in the sixth.

Matz issued a leadoff walk to Cooper Pratt to immediately put himself back in the pressure cooker.

Sal Frelick hit a hard liner to left, but it was hauled in by Chandler Simpson on the run. A slow roller to shortstop from David Hamilton moved Pratt into scoring position and brought Cash out to make a pitching change.

Kevin Kelly surrendered a bouncing single from Jackson Chourio into right field to bring Pratt in to score with a much-needed insurance run.

Chourio, 22, already owns the all-time Brewers postseason records for homers (6) and RBI (18) in just 20 games. In fact, that’s the most postseason homers and RBI ever by any player prior to his 23rd birthday.

Score: Brewers 3, Rays 1

Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby throws a pitch in the seventh inning.

Abner Uribe strikes out Junior Caminero, and then Aaron Ashby comes in to strike out Liam Hicks and induce a fly out from Jonny DeLuca and suddenly we’re at the seventh-inning stretch.

You can see why Milwaukee has felt confident playing close games and found success even without starters going deep.

Speaking of the stretch: the in-game entertainment plays “God Bless America,” “Take Me Out To The Ballgame,” and a little ditty I’ve never heard before that seems to be Milwaukee-specific. I already forgot any identifying lyrics, but the jumbotron showed an accordion player as it wound down.

Score: Brewers 2, Rays 1