The Milwaukee Brewers are one victory away from the first World Series championship in franchise history after an eight-run fifth inning turned Game 3 into a 10-1 rout of the Rays on Monday night in St. Petersburg. Milwaukee leads the series three games to none, and Tampa Bay now has to win Tuesday and Wednesday at home just to force a Game 6 back in Wisconsin. No team has ever come back from losing three straight games in the World Series, which tells you the size of the climb.
The baseball is only part of the story here on the Suncoast. The series has been a major economic boost for Tampa and St. Pete, with an estimated $10 million to $12 million generated per game. Tampa International Airport was handling around 80,000 travelers a day before Game 3, compared to roughly 20,000 on a typical day, and hotels and restaurants across Pinellas and the surrounding area have been feeling the rush all week.
Some of that rush comes from Brewers fans who decided a Florida vacation made more sense than a single ticket back home. One family traveling with two young kids said the trip down here, Airbnb included, cost about what one game in Milwaukee would have run them. The Rays take the field Tuesday with their season on the line. What would you tell an out-of-town fan visiting the Suncoast for the first time?
