Jake Bauers 'Almost Started Crying' After Frelick's HR in Brewers' Win vs. Rays in World Series G2

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers let the moment soak in as he watched Sal Frelick's game-tying home run sail over the fence in the 6th inning of Saturday's 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

"I almost started crying in the dugout," Bauers said, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "He means so much to us in here."

Based on his production, Frelick isn't the first name you would've picked to deal one of the biggest blows in Game 2. He had four home runs and slugged .319 during the regular season, and his power numbers haven't gone up much in the playoffs.

But Frelick stepped up to finally erase what had been Tampa Bay's 4-0 lead after the top of the first inning. He concluded a nine-pitch at-bat by slamming an Ian Seymour fastball 408 feet to center field.

Cooper Pratt's RBI single provided the go-ahead run in the seventh.

One way or another, Brewers manager Pat Murphy expected Frelick to rise to the occasion in the Fall Classic. He called the veteran outfielder an "ultimate competitor, winner" who possesses the "'it' factor."

"You think of Joe Montana (or) Larry Bird, they have the 'it' factor," Murphy said, per The Athletic's Tyler Kepner. "I'm not saying he's at that level of talent or has been in a position to do those things, but he has that 'it' factor.

"He can take a team down the field. I'm sure when you're a man down in hockey, he can prevent guys from scoring. He just has that grit, he has that belief system, like, 'I'm going to get this done, and you're not going to deny me.'"

The fine margins of the World Series mean otherwise unheralded players often write their names into MLB lore.

Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto took home MVP in the 2025 World Series, but Miguel Rojas and Andy Pages were equally instrumental in the team's Game 7 victory. Two years ago, Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman did some heavy lifting for the star-studded offense.

Should Milwaukee go on to lift its first title, Frelick's home run will be replayed often by the team's fans, and he may never have to pay for a drink in Wisconsin ever again.