The First Cut Is the Deepest: Buzzsaw Brewers Take Game 1
MILWAUKEE — The 2026 Brewers aren’t your typical postseason buzzsaw. They’ve won with defense and relief pitching, and their eight postseason victories have come by a combined 13 runs. Half of those games ended either with a Milwaukee walk-off hit, or with the opponent’s tying run on base. Every postseason game the Brewers have played was a one-run game in the sixth or later; they haven’t scored more than seven runs in a game since their 101st regular-season win.
But they are a buzzsaw, and in Game 1 of the World Series — Milwaukee’s first Fall Classic game in 44 years — into the blade went the Tampa Bay Rays. The Brewers put two runs on the board in the top of the first, and they led the rest of the way, albeit not by much. Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run over five innings, tying the longest postseason outing of his career, and the Rays struggled to put a counterattack together until a furious but ill-fated ninth-inning rally.
Round 1 went to the home team, 3-2.
Michael is a writer at FanGraphs. Previously, he was a staff writer at The Ringer and D1Baseball, and his work has appeared at Grantland, Baseball Prospectus, The Atlantic, ESPN.com, and various ill-remembered Phillies blogs. Follow him on Twitter, if you must, @MichaelBaumann.
It’s incredibly annoying that in the biggest game of the year the Brewers needed to get five outs in the 9th. Megill had Caminero struck out but the ump blew call on whether or not he went, and Cooper’s cleat clearly had the bag on the double play.
I agree Caminero struck out. Disagree Pratt’s foot was on the bag.
Given the out call at first, if Simpson had simply come round and touched the plate, does he get to score on the overturn? That would have tied the game and probably led to a riot if it were allowed.
Would the double play have been reviewed even in the 4th inning of a WS game? Feels like that’s a gimme in every situation except the final play where a team has nothing to lose
Small correction, should be one out (Diaz’s), otherwise the would-be double play ball by Hicks wouldn’t have possibly ended the game:
As Stephen Strasburg said in 2019, “For so many years in the playoffs, we ended up running into a team playing like a buzzsaw. Maybe this year, we’re the buzzsaw.”
Congrats to the Brewers for the win and for both teams for giving us a taut, well played, tension filled opening game. Boy, both teams are excellent.
It was not a mistake for Hamilton to try to stretch his hit into a triple. There was one out and getting to 3rd would have increased his chances of scoring significantly. I was very surprised that he didn’t make it but his little stumble and the perfect throw by Williamson just nipped him.
That throw was absolutely perfect too. Which is the only way they get him, even with the stumble.
I agree, right decision, just two great teams playing the tightest of margins.
John Smoltz must have played a lot of golf yesterday. In the 9th inning he said Megill came over to the Brewers this year in a trade from the Mets.
That’s funny. When Megill came into the game last night, I looked up Tyler Megill’s stats on bbref and couldn’t understand why they were showing him as having last pitched in 2025 for the Mets. Until I then checked Milwaukee’s team page and noticed that the Brewers’ closer was Trevor Megill.
By that time, I had stopped watching the Fox feed because it had gotten very glitchy around the 6th inning, so by the 8th I switched over to the Spanish language broadcast on univision. I didn’t understand what they were saying, but it was still better than listening to Smoltz.
“[I predict] the team that has the most base runners is going to win.”
-John Smoltz
Was able to get very last second and surprisingly affordable tickets and sit in one of the worst seats in the stadium, deafened by my proximity to the speakers.
It was amazing. Would do again.
Absolutely. My first playoff baseball game taught me it was never a bad choice, no matter where I sat or the outcome. It’s such a fun, different experience to be a part of.
If we were on the chat I would give you two thumbs up!!
i’m glad you could make it happen
(i will always advocate for hearing protection like earplugs, hearing damage is permanent)
I appreciate the summary of the game, but heartily disagree with the characterization that Caminero’s laser (112.7 mph) that sailed over Mitchell “should’ve been “an easy second out.” If Mitchell, who is indeed a “superb defender” would have lunged over his head and caught the scorching line-drive, it would have been a great play. Anyway, I was keeping the scorebook at home and had no doubt it was a double, and the official scorer concurred.
Fair warning, when I win the Powerball I’m funding Fangraphs so that we can get a game summary this good for every single regular season game. Nicely done.