ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A large group of Brewers fans gathered in a parking lot outside Tropicana Field more than four hours before the first pitch of Game 4 of the World Series, sipping Wisconsin beers and preparing for a potentially historic night.
They have to wait at least one more day.
With the Brewers needing another win to celebrate the first World Series title in franchise history, the bullpen couldn’t protect a 3-2 lead in the 12th inning and the The Tampa Bay Rays rallied for a 4-3 victory Tuesday night to avoid a sweep.
“We’re ready to party,” a man wearing a white pinstriped William Contreras No. 24 jersey said before the game.
A celebration always seems inevitable.
Of the previous 43 major league teams to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven playoff series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox rallied to win four straight games by beating the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
Brewers fans have been waiting for this moment since 1970 – the franchise started as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee a year later. Thousands of fans made the trip from Wisconsin to Florida and sat among the Rays crowd ringing the bells Monday night. Most were seated behind the dugout and along the third-base line, and they had plenty to cheer about in a game 10-1 victory.
“The atmosphere here with the number of Brewers fans, you can feel it, and it started yesterday in batting practice,” Milwaukee’s Garrett Mitchell said Tuesday. “Just like when we were stretching, you could hear it. There were a lot of ‘Let’s go Brewers’ chants. To have that on the road, it’s pretty special. Pretty special.”
More Brewers fans were average for Game 4 because their team is on the verge of a championship and the Rays need to defy historical trends just to bring the series back to Milwaukee.
There have been 25 teams that have taken a 3-0 lead in the World Series. Of them, 21 completed the sweep in Game 4 and the remaining four won the series in Game 5.
The cheapest ticket available for Game 4 was $900, according to ticket marketplace TickPick. In total, 41.3% of all purchases for Game 4 came from Wisconsin, compared to 30.5% from Florida and 3.4% from Illinois, according to TickPick.
A fan wearing a powder blue No. 19 Robin Yount jersey held a broomstick in the parking lot, anticipating a sweep. Once the doors opened, there was a loud chant of “Let’s go, Brewers” as the players began stretching out in left field.
As the stadium began to fill up about an hour before the first pitch, it appeared that there were more Brewers fans than Rays fans in the stands. They filled the area behind the Milwaukee dugout and shouted as the players returned to the clubhouse.
“It was awesome,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said after Game 3. “They were very loud in batting practice throughout the game. I’ve said it many times, but they brought it this year in Milwaukee and on the road. We understand how much this team and our performance affects the happiness of people in Milwaukee and how many memories have been made over the years watching Brewers baseball, watching us play, whether it’s family, friends, parents, grandparents, whatever. So I know this team doesn’t accept that lightly and I understand that our team means a lot to people and that’s one of the main reasons why we push so hard on this.
And for those who didn’t make the road trip, American Family Field in Milwaukee boasted a sold-out watch party for 31,000 fans.
“They’re great people who care a lot about the Brewers, and we need their continued support because we’re playing against a great ballclub that has had some adversity in the series and they bounced back really well tonight,” manager Pat Murphy said.
Milwaukee’s only previous trip to the World Series in 1982 ended in heartbreaking fashion when the Brewers blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7 and lost 6-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Murphy’s team attempts to complete what Harvey Kuenn’s all-star team couldn’t. Harvey’s Wallbangers had five Hall of Famers: Yount, Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, Don Sutton and Rollie Fingers. But Fingers missed the playoffs with a forearm injury. They also had Hall of Famer Bob Uecker in the broadcast booth.
“I think it’s just about the Brewers, the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin coming together,” Murphy said. “We all play a role. It’s wonderful to all be together. I hope we continue to play well enough to win.”
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