MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Tampa Bay Rays fans are leaving Milwaukee with their team down 2-0 to the Brewers in the World Series, but the ones that made the trip up to Wisconsin had plenty to enjoy.
The series opened in Milwaukee with mostly pleasant weather during the day, with sunshine and temperatures around 65 degrees. For some fans from Florida, it still felt cool.
“I’m wearing long pants. I’m usually in shorts,” Jay McKeage said. “It’s a little chilly for me.”
Jackson McKeage and his dad Jay are from Tampa Bay and currently live in Parish. He said he also had to adjust to the temperature.
“I have long sleeves on, so it’s a little chilly,” he said.
Rays fans who made the trip said they knew they were walking into a crowd dominated by Brewers supporters.
“We only saw one other fan on the way in, so it’s gonna be kind of lonely in there,” Pete Kelly said, who lives in south Tampa. “We’ll be enthusiastic fans.”
The traveling fans also got a taste of Wisconsin’s ballpark traditions, including tailgating and local food.
“We tailgated out here,” Jay McKeage said. “I had my first bratwurst ever. I do prefer the tomahawk, though, I will say that, but the bratwurst wasn’t bad.”
Joy Heinrich said she enjoyed the city’s atmosphere.
“I love Milwaukee in general,” Heinrich said. “It’s a nice little town, especially if you love cheese.”
When asked about cheese and baseball, Heinrich added, “Exactly, yep, and add beer.”
Several Rays fans said they felt welcomed by people in Milwaukee.
“I can’t believe the people of this area. They’re so nice,” Jay McKeage said. “They’ve been so nice to us. Very surprising.”
“I really like the tailgating in the parking lot,” Josh Brandon said. “I think it was a pretty cool atmosphere for the ballpark, and hopefully Tampa can add that when they build their new park.”
One young Rays fan had the unique privilege of wearing a Rays jersey that bears his name, and a player’s name! Drew Rasmussen is 11 years old and has the same name as the Rays starting pitcher. He and his dad Nick said he met the pitcher years ago and had a jersey autographed by him.
“It was cool,” the young Drew Rasmussen said, describing the meeting. “I was crying, like frozen a lot.”
His father, Nick Rasmussen, said the family made the trip after learning Drew Rasmussen would be on the mound.
“We had to come watch, right?” Nick Rasmussen said. “I surprised you with tickets yesterday with Drew going to be on the mound. We were like, let’s go take a road trip, have some fun.”
The World Series now shifts to St. Petersburg, where Game 3 is scheduled for Monday night at Tropicana Field.
Dining and Cooking