The World Series opened Friday with a scene all Milwaukee baseball fans had anticipated for 44 years. The Brewers played a championship game at home, at American Family Field. Along with that, the team led the league 2-0 against the Tampa Bay Rays in the best-of-seven series.
The last time the Brewers reached the World Series was in 1982, when they lost to the St.Louis Cardinals. This is why their 3-2 victory meant more for the team. Outside of the scores, meaningful records excited the fans, like Christian Yelich’s two-run first inning with an RBI triple and William Contreras’ run-scoring hit. Rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski threw a 103.5 mph fastball, the fastest recorded in World Series history.
By the ninth inning, Milwaukee thought it had won the game, leading by a point. However, officials reviewed the play and decided the game was not over, giving Tampa Bay another chance to score. Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill then got the final out, finishing with a close 3-2 victory and sending Milwaukee fans into celebration.
On the other hand, many fans were let down by the steep price to witness history in Milwaukee. The cheapest Game 1 ticket was listed at $2,161 for standing room on SeatGeek. Compared to the average $40 price during the regular season, many local fans were not able to afford the skyrocketed prices. One can argue that the price increase was due to the excitement for the World Series, but ticket prices in Tampa Bay were listed as low as $517 dollars on StubHub.
Lake Forest Academy Assistant Dean of Students Ackim Mpofu described his surprise at the rise in ticket prices: “I didn’t even know Milwaukee had a baseball team until now.”
Saturday’s Game 2 at American Family Field continued the excitement. Even though the Rays scored four runs in the first inning, Milwaukee soon caught up. Sal Frelick tied the game with a sixth-inning home run, and Cooper Pratt came in with a seventh-inning single. The Rays were kept scoreless over the final six innings, helping Milwaukee to end the week with another win of 5-4.
The series continued in St. Petersburg for Game 3 on Monday and Game 4 on Tuesday. Tampa Bay is hoping to reverse the momentum with its home crowd; meanwhile, Milwaukee is only two victories away from the first championship in franchise history.