MILWAUKEE — In the days leading up to the 2026 World Series, Sal Frelick wasn't trying to do much out of the ordinary. With some extra days off after the Brewers' sweep of the Dodgers in the NLCS, he had time to do something he enjoys throughout the season: Go to Catholic mass.
But Brewers fever doesn't stop at the church doorsteps.
"The priest was getting into it a little bit, [talking about] having a watch party at the church. I was sitting in the back pew, like, 'This is cool,'" Frelick said before the World Series. "We're kind of getting amped in Sunday mass."
After hitting one of the biggest home runs in Brewers' postseason history on Saturday to help lead the Brewers to a 5-4 victory in Game 2, Frelick might have just become Milwaukee's most popular parishioner.
"We've got an early flight, so I've got to check the mass times," Frelick said Saturday night with a smile. "I hope they all watched tonight and can bring them some joy, along with the rest of the city."
Going into Frelick's sixth-inning at-bat, momentum had been building for the Brewers in what was then a 4-3 ballgame. They had fallen behind the Rays 4-0 in the first inning, but Milwaukee was chipping away against Tampa ace Drew Rasmussen. Once Rasmussen exited the game in the fourth inning, the Brewers continued their charge against the Rays' bullpen.
Leading off the sixth against southpaw Ian Seymour, Frelick was looking to do something he has done a lot this postseason: get on base. The stage was set between familiar foes, as the Brewers' right fielder had faced the Rays' left-hander in college, when he played for Boston College and Seymour was at Virginia Tech.
The at-bat Saturday mirrored many the Brewers have worked this postseason, as Frelick had to battle the Rays' southpaw. Seeing a mix of two-seam and four-seam fastballs, he spoiled them, looking for a pitch he could put in play.
"He's pretty much a sinker guy. Was fouling them off. Missed a few good ones," Frelick said afterward. "And then late in the at-bat, he started throwing four-seams and kind of caught me by surprise. Was able to spoil a few of those and was just really hoping, because I had seen the sinker earlier, that he would maybe leave one over the plate — and yeah, he did."
On the ninth pitch of the at-bat, the biggest swing of Frelick's life hammered Seymour's 3-2 four-seamer to straightaway center field and sent the American Family Field crowd of 43,245 into an uproar.
SAL FRELICK. TIE GAME. pic.twitter.com/aSkT0NcTRU
— MLB (@MLB) October 25, 2026
As Tampa Bay center fielder Jonny DeLuca sprinted toward the wall, every person in the Brewers' dugout and every fan in the ballpark rose to their feet. And as the 408-foot shot sailed over the wall, tying the game at 4, pandemonium ensued in Milwaukee.
"It's great, sort of this blackout feeling," Frelick said.
"I almost started crying in the dugout," first baseman Jake Bauers said. "That's such an awesome moment for Sal. Such an awesome moment for the team. That guy means so much to us. To see him have an at-bat like that and hit the homer, it was an emotional moment."
Frelick isn't known for his power. He hit four home runs in the regular season, and this was just his second homer of the year off a left-handed pitcher. But whenever the Brewers have needed some pop this postseason, they've found it; they lead all playoff teams in homers.
"He's just the ultimate competitor, winner. He's got the it-factor," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
One inning later, shortstop Cooper Pratt hit an RBI single that gave the Brewers a 5-4 lead that held for a Game 2 victory and a commanding 2-0 World Series lead.
"It seems like we've had a lot of experience with it in the postseason," Frelick said of his team coming back. "Down early almost every game so far … Our offense is built to kind of chip away and wear on pitchers, which I think can be good when you're trying to come back."
Frelick is putting together arguably the best stretch of his career. The right fielder, who finished Game 2 2-for-4 with a homer, is hitting .273 with a .370 on-base percentage in October. He actually came within a few feet of his second homer of the game in the seventh inning, and while a two-homer game might have been nice, that would've surprised even Frelick.
"I've never hit a homer that I thought was gone," he said with a smile.
Before Frelick's blast, it had been 16,075 days since a Milwaukee Brewer hit a home run in the World Series, and it's unlikely that anyone would've picked Frelick to end that drought. But his doing so provided the next chapter in the comeback story the Brewers have gotten so good at writing.
As they've made their way to 9-1 this postseason, it's been a different hero almost every night. In Game 2, it was Frelick's turn to deliver.
"My favorite swing of the year, and it's not even close," left-hander Aaron Ashby said. "That was electric. This team wouldn't be what this team is without that guy."