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Milwaukee Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby stared down the tying run in the ninth inning of World Series Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Rays and never blinked. Afterward, the left-hander revealed what keeps him so calm in those moments.
Ashby closed out the Brewers’ 5-4 win on Saturday night at American Family Field, giving Milwaukee a 2-0 series lead. Asked whether he is more of a prayer guy or a deep-breath guy, he said it is a bit of both.
“A lot of breathing, just kind of, you know, praying for peace,” Ashby said, via Lance Allan. “I guess it’s kind of like a home feeling that I’ve felt like I’ve had for a while now, and just kind of continue with that and trust in what’s going on.”
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“Praying for peace.” Aaron Ashby explains how he stays calm in high leverage moments like saving Game 2: #Brewerspic.twitter.com/gvZcr7LngA
— Lance Allan (@lanceallan) October 25, 2026
That peace was put to the test right away. Jonny DeLuca led off the ninth with a double, and a groundout moved him to third with two outs. Ashby did not budge, striking out Yandy Diaz on a full-count pitch to end the game and leave the tying run stranded 90 feet away.
Ashby said the tight margin does not change his approach.
“I feel like all the games have been generally pretty close up to this point,” Ashby said. “It doesn’t necessarily change the way that I’m executing pitches or trying to pitch these guys. It really just kind of stays the same: swing and miss or weak contact, preferably swing and miss.”
He also credited his catcher for letting him attack hitters without hesitation.
“I feel like I’m just trusting him,” Ashby said. “There’s not a lot of thinking I got to do, and he’s just locked in right now.”
The save was Ashby’s third of the postseason. He has now thrown 15 2/3 scoreless innings across eight October appearances, a far cry from his 5.40 playoff ERA a year ago.
Still, he is not getting comfortable.
“It feels nice to be up 2-0. So we still got to go there and take care of business,” Ashby said. “This is an incredible lineup, an incredible team that we’re facing across the way over there, and I’m sure they’re going to bring it Game 3.”
Game 3 is set for Monday at Tropicana Field.
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