Seeing a lot of Rays love after last night's miracle win, probably from many of the same people who picked them to win the series. But let's not overlook what it took to get that win and what it could mean tonight.
The Rays emptied their arsenal, while the Brewers preserved two of their biggest weapons, with Megill throwing just 5 pitches and Uribe only 19.
The Rays survived. The Brewers kept their biggest arms fresh. That could be the most significant difference heading into tonight.
And let's not overlook the rest factor. Brewers entered with 12 days off compared to just 3 for the Rays. That's a significant advantage in rest and recovery, especially after last night's marathon.
Also remember that no team in history has ever won two games after trailing 3-0.
Well, I wouldn't call it a "miracle win." In a game that lasted 4 hours and 20 minutes, the Rays were losing for all of 18 minutes in between Cooper Pratt's home run and Jonny DeLuca's game-tying RBI single.
The Rays emptied their arsenal, while the Brewers preserved two of their biggest weapons, with Megill throwing just 5 pitches and Uribe only 19.
The Rays survived. The Brewers kept their biggest arms fresh. That could be the most significant difference heading into tonight.
Their most effective arm out of the bullpen threw 31 pitches last night and is up to 79 in this series.
The Brewers eliminated the Dodgers on October 15th and hosted Game 1 of the World Series on October 23rd.
The “miracle win” wasn't a reference to how the game unfolded or how long the Rays trailed. It was about overcoming the mountain of history stacked against them entering the game. The historical odds were overwhelmingly against them, which is what made it a "miracle win", regardless of how many minutes they actually trailed.
The 12 days was an obvious typo, but it doesn't change the point. 7 days between games is still a significant rest advantage, especially this deep into the postseason. The Brewers had time to rest their pitching staff, reset their bullpen, and recover physically while the Rays had a much shorter turnaround. This could be the difference tonight.
The comparison between the 2004 Red Sox and the 2026 Rays isn't about the teams specifically. It's about the similar situation they found themselves in, down 3-0 in a best-of-7 series. What the 2004 Red Sox accomplished by successfully overcoming a 3-0 series deficit matters because prior to that happening, the only teams we ever heard about who pulled this off were the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders. Those two teams always came up as a historical reference any time an NHL team, NBA team, or MLB team fell into a 3-0 series hole in the playoffs. In other words, the feat seemed like ancient history in the sport of hockey, and in basketball and hoops it felt impossible.
But look at what's happened since 2004. Six years later, the Philadelphia Flyers pulled it off vs. the Boston Bruins. Four years after that, the Los Angeles Kings did it to the San Jose Sharks. In 2011, two NHL teams came back from down 0-3 to tie the series and force a Game 7 before ultimately losing. Two years ago in the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers won 3 times in a row to force a Game 7 before losing.
Three years ago, the Boston Celtics won 3 in a row to force a Game 7 vs. Miami before losing the Eastern Conference finals.
I believe all of these teams who successfully dug out of the 0-3 hole or very nearly did it drew inspiration from the 2004 Red Sox. It's no coincidence that fewer teams wilt in such Game 4 situations than they used to.
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