The Milwaukee Brewers just snagged Game 1 of the World Series, taking down the Rays 3-2 at American Family Field on Friday night. And get this: they hadn’t played a game in seven whole days before that first pitch. Seven days! You hear all the time about “rust versus rest” when a team has a long layoff in the postseason, how baseball’s a daily grind in the regular season, so sitting around for a week has gotta put you at a disadvantage, right? Total nonsense, and the Brewers just put on a clinic to prove it.
The “Rust” Myth Got Absolutely Blown Away in Game 1
Forget any talk of being rusty. In the very first inning of Game 1, Jackson Chourio kicked things off with a single. Then Christian Yelich absolutely ripped a triple, bringing Chourio home. And before the Rays could even catch their breath, William Contreras came through with a single to score Yelich. Two runs, four batters. That’s how a team “off for some time” supposedly plays? Seriously? On the mound for the Rays was Nick Martinez, an All-Star this season and coming off an outing where he gave up only one run in more than five innings against the Guardians in the ALCS. This wasn’t some scrub they were facing, folks. And Contreras, after that clutch RBI single, wasn’t done showing off. He threw out two runners trying to steal and nailed both of his ABS challenges behind the plate. Brewers manager Pat Murphy put it best after the game, saying, “Contreras was unbelievable. The two caught stealings, the ABS, the hits, calling the game.” He wasn’t perfect, Murphy admitted, with a baserunning mistake, an execution mistake, and a defensive mistake, but still, Murphy was “pleased we came out in the first inning ready to go.”
How You Stay Hot When You’re Not Playing Ball
This wasn’t even the Brewers’ first long break. They swept the Dodgers in the NLDS, leading to another wait before the World Series. Overall, this squad has played only nine games in the last 26 days, and they’ve won eight of them. That stat alone just melts the “rusty” argument into nothing, doesn’t it? So, how do you keep that edge when you’re not on the field? Turns out, it’s not just about taking swings off batting practice pitchers anymore. These guys are using Trajekt technology, which throws up holograms of real pitchers and recreates everything: spin rate, velocity, movement, the whole nine yards. This tech is so legit that players are skipping minor-league rehab assignments after injuries and going straight back to game speed with these machines. Plus, the Brewers were grinding through practice games. Murphy was blunt when asked about their prep on Thursday, saying, “We played baseball, that’s how we prepared.”
With Game 1 now locked down, the rest of this World Series is gonna be a wild ride. You gotta wonder if other teams are already looking at what Milwaukee pulled off and rethinking how they handle those postseason breaks. The Brewers showed up ready, and the league better be paying attention.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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