Brewers Pushed to Brink of First Title After Rookie Limits Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Milwaukee Brewers rookie Robert Gasser held the Tampa Bay Rays to one hit across six innings on Monday night, pushing the franchise within one win of its first championship with a 10-1 result in Game 1.

Gasser, 27, became the first starter to face the minimum through six innings of a World Series game since Curt Schilling did it for Arizona in Game 7 of 2001. The last left-handed starter to pull it off was Sandy Koufax in Game 5 of the 1965 series.

Gasser allowed a leadoff single to Yandy Diaz in the first inning, then saw him erased on a fielder's choice. Catcher William Contreras then threw out Chandler Simpson trying to steal second after Simpson came off the bag. Gasser retired the next 12 batters before walking Victor Mesa Jr. to open the sixth. Nick Fortes grounded into a double play, and Taylor Walls grounded out on Gasser's final pitch, ending his night at 93 pitches with three strikeouts.

Gasser began the season at Triple-A Nashville and made his major league debut in 2024. San Diego drafted him in the second round in 2021, and Milwaukee acquired him in 2022 as part of the trade that sent All-Star closer Josh Hader to the Padres. He had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow after five starts, then posted a 1.67 ERA across his final six regular-season appearances in 2026. "A big word is belief," Gasser said. "I haven't changed much over the years from mechanics to velocity. I think it always comes down to, 'Do you believe in yourself?'"

Brice Turang supplied three hits and two RBIs for Milwaukee. The Brewers have won four straight postseason road games, three started by Gasser, including five scoreless innings in Game 3 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium. Before this postseason, Milwaukee had dropped 12 consecutive road playoff games dating to 2018, matching the record set by the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins from 1925 through 1987. "He's very chill," Turang said of Gasser. "He drives chill, too. He's really slow at driving. Everything about him is just chill."

Christian Yelich, the Brewers' captain, said Gasser's composure holds up under pressure. "He's been great for us all year, all postseason," Yelich said. "And he's got that steady heartbeat. The moment's never too big for him."