The Milwaukee Brewers made a habit of comebacks this October, and on Saturday night they pulled off one of their biggest. After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning of World Series Game 2, Milwaukee chipped away run by run and beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 at American Family Field to take a 2-0 series lead.

Here’s how it happened, based on reporting from MLB.com, AP News and the Baseball-Reference box score.

A nightmare first inning

The Rays came out swinging against Brewers rookie right-hander Logan Henderson. Chandler Simpson drove in leadoff man Yandy Díaz with a ground-ball single, Junior Caminero added an RBI single, and catcher Liam Hicks then crushed a 411-foot homer to right-center field, the first home run of the Series, to make it 4-0 before Milwaukee had even batted.

For most teams, that would be a crushing start on the sport’s biggest stage. The Brewers, who had already erased a 4-0 deficit against the Dodgers in Game 4 of the NLCS, didn’t seem bothered.

Chipping away

Milwaukee answered immediately in the bottom of the first. Jackson Chourio and Jake Bauers singled to put runners on the corners, and William Contreras scored Chourio with a hit-and-run single up the middle. Garrett Mitchell then added a two-out RBI single to cut the lead to 4-2.

In the fourth, a walk to Cooper Pratt and a single from Sal Frelick put runners on the corners again. David Hamilton bounced a ball down the first-base line that slipped under the glove of first baseman Jonathan Aranda, and Pratt scored on the error to make it 4-3. It was the kind of defensive miscue MLB.com described as unusual for a normally sharp Rays team.

Frelick ties it, Pratt wins it

The loudest moment of the night came in the sixth. Frelick led off against left-hander Ian Seymour and, after a nine-pitch, full-count battle, drove a four-seam fastball deep to center for a game-tying homer. According to AP, it was Frelick’s first home run in three months, and MLB.com noted he had managed just one homer against lefties in 98 plate appearances during the regular season.

“If we’re down, we’re not out,” Frelick said afterward, per MLB.com.

The go-ahead run arrived in the seventh. Brice Turang doubled off Tyler Wells and moved to third on a deep fly ball, and the Rays went to the bullpen. Pratt, the rookie shortstop who had made an error earlier in the game, slapped a single into right field to put Milwaukee ahead 5-4.

“It was pretty electric,” Pratt said.

Holding on

The Brewers missed a chance at an insurance run in the eighth, when Chourio was called out on a collision play at the plate. In the ninth, the Rays put the tying run 90 feet from home against Aaron Ashby, but the left-hander held on to earn the save.

Key numbers from the box score:

  • Final: Brewers 5, Rays 4
  • Winning pitcher: Abner Uribe (1-0)
  • Losing pitcher: Tyler Wells (0-2)
  • Save: Aaron Ashby (3)
  • Attendance: 43,245 at American Family Field

History is on Milwaukee’s side

The win followed a 3-2 Brewers victory in Game 1, meaning the two games have been decided by a combined two runs. According to MLB.com, of the 57 teams to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series, 46 (80.7%) went on to win it.

That puts the Brewers two victories away from the first World Series title in franchise history. The Rays, who are also chasing their first championship, know they’ve hurt themselves with uncharacteristic mistakes in the field and on the bases. They will take some comfort from the ALCS, where they overcame a 2-1 deficit against the Guardians by winning three straight.

What’s next: Game 3

The series moves to Tropicana Field for Game 3 on Monday, October 26, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. According to MLB.com, the Rays will start ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta, the former Brewers ace who is 7-0 with a 0.89 ERA over his last 10 games since Aug. 26. Milwaukee will counter with left-hander Robert Gasser.

The wrap-up

The Brewers haven’t overpowered the Rays so far. They’ve simply outlasted them, turning small edges into two tense wins. Tampa Bay now heads home needing to clean up its play and get a big outing from Peralta against his old team, or risk watching Milwaukee celebrate its long-awaited title on the Rays’ own field.

Image: Baseball Stadium by Rob Bye via StockSnap, CC0 1.0