ST. PETERSBURG — Game 3 of the World Series was a complete bloodbath. The Brewers now have a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven World Series after a 10-1 drubbing of what remains of the Rays. Choose your phrase: men vs. boys, varsity vs. JV. It’s less a series than an inevitability.
The Brewers are now 7-0 in the NLCS and World Series. The only team to sweep the final two rounds before was the 1976 Reds, but that Big Red Machine only had a five-game NLCS. The Brewers can make it 8-0 for the first time in MLB history with a win in Game 4.
But let’s start at the beginning. Let’s discuss this Crew Game 3 monstrosity. They recorded 10 runs on 16 hits, compared to 1 and 3 for the Rays – and it was worse than it looked because the Rays got a run on two hits in the ninth when it was already mostly over. It was domination from start to finish, while the Rays were clumsy and ineffective. First and foremost for the winners? Jackson Chourio, of course.
Before the series, I noticed that Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was going to have the national spotlight here in this World Series as rising superstars. Chourio was up to the task and more. He led off the game with a line drive single, then also had success with singles in each of his next two at-bats. In his fourth at-bat, he doubled in the game-changing eight-run fifth inning.
“Yeah, I think you could say it was one of my best matches,” Chourio said after the match. “Really, I took every at-bat like it was my last and tried to find every way possible to get on base. Because I know as long as I stay on base, there are guys behind me who could score.”
That fifth-inning double was the lowest of his four hits at 99 mph (95+ are considered “hard-hit” balls). Chourio had four hits, two runs and one RBI in five innings. The Rays, as a team, recorded no runs on one hit in eight.
Remember, Chourio is still only 22 years old. In Game 3, he became the youngest player to win a World Series game with four hits since Joe Garagiola in 1946. It was the first time in 80 years! That’s how talented this child prodigy is.
“Nobody’s surprised that Jack Jack is doing this. Nobody’s surprised. He’s becoming — 20, 21, 22 years old, he’s becoming a good player. He understands what it takes, the discipline it takes. He’s coming into his own. Nobody’s shocked. He’s just really, really good,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Game 3.
“He also played incredible defense, and he stole a base tonight. He’s a total player. As we talked about, you ask about him and Kobe Bryant. Kobe strove to get better every year because he was very disciplined. He was such a worker. He had such an attitude. Jackson is on the same path.”
The Brewers produce talent from all walks of life. They’re getting the most out of retreads like Jake Bauers, as well as organizational guys like Game 3 starter Robert Gasser. And then there are superstars like Chourio.
He won’t finish as high in the MVP rankings this season, but it might be the last time in a long time. Injuries limited him to 127 games this season and he still posted 4.9 WAR. He’s gone 20-20 (home runs and steals) in three seasons already. We saw all five tools in the playoffs.
The typing tool? Yeah, he’s 8 for 14 in the World Series, good for a nice .571 average. Power? He’s hit two home runs in the postseason so far. Speed? He stole a base in Game 3, giving him three World Series steals so far. The glove and arm were on display in Game 2, when he threw out a very important Rays baserunner at home.
When you watch Chourio play, he makes you feel like there’s nothing he can’t do on a baseball field. It’s true, and it’s only beginning to scratch the proverbial surface. He wouldn’t be a bad prediction for next season’s National League MVP. But first, he struts his stuff on the biggest stage.
Anyone who has seen him play regularly is not at all surprised by his performance this World Series. He has long had the talent, confidence and daring of a superstar. And just as importantly, he signed a team-friendly deal with the Brewers through 2031, with two other club options through 2033. He’s poised to be the face of the organization for a long time.
The Brewers are better across the board, and the Rays missed their only opener in three games so far when they scored four runs in the first inning of Game 2, then failed to score again in a 5-4 loss. Hell, they haven’t scored since. And they had the gates blown away in the third game by the superior team. In the case of men versus boys here, one of the youngest players on the show is the biggest, baddest man of them all.
Gn sports
