ST. PETERSBURG -- Game 3 of the World Series was a total bloodbath. The Brewers now have a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven World Series after a 10-1 drubbing of whatever is left of the Rays. Pick your phrase: men vs. boys, varsity vs. JV. This has been less a series than an inevitability.

The Brewers are now 7-0 in the NLCS and World Series. The only team previously to sweep both of the last two rounds was the 1976 Reds, but that Big Red Machine only had a five-game NLCS. The Brewers can make it 8-0 for the first time in MLB history with a win in Game 4.

First things first, though. Let's discuss this Game 3 monstrosity from the Crew. They recorded 10 runs on 16 hits, compared to 1 and 3 from the Rays -- and it was worse than it looked because the Rays got a run on two hits in the ninth when it was already basically over. It was domination from start to finish, while the Rays were bumbling and ineffectual. Front and center for the winners? Jackson Chourio, of course. 

Heading into the series, I noted that Chourio and Rays third baseman Junior Caminero were going to have the national spotlight here in this World Series as up-and-coming superstars. Chourio has been up to the task and then some. He led off the game with a line drive single, then came through with singles in each of his next two at-bats, too. In his fourth at-bat, he doubled during the game-changing, eight-run fifth inning. 

"Yeah, I think that you could say this is one of my better games," Chourio said after the game. "Really, I was just taking every at-bat like it could be my last and trying to find any way I could to get on base. Because I know, as long as I get on base, there's guys behind me who could score."

That fifth-inning double was the weakest of his four hits at 99 mph (95+ are considered "hard hit" balls). Chourio put up four hits, two runs and an RBI through five innings. The Rays as a team recorded zero runs on one hit through eight. 

Remember, Chourio is still only 22 years old. In Game 3, he became the youngest player with a four-hit World Series game since Joe Garagiola in 1946. It was the first time in 80 years! That's how talented this wunderkind is. 

"Nobody's surprised that Jack Jack's doing this. Nobody's surprised. He's turning into -- 20, 21, 22, he's turning into a fine player. He's understanding what it takes, the discipline that it takes. He's coming into his own. Nobody's shocked. He's just really, really good," Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after Game 3.

"He's also played incredible defense, and he stole a base tonight. He's a total player. Like we talked about, you ask about Kobe Bryant and him. Kobe strived to get better and better and better every year because he was so disciplined. He was such a worker. He had such an attitude. Jackson's on that same track."

The Brewers churn out talent from all over the spectrum. They get the absolute most out of retreads like Jake Bauers, as well as organizational guys like Game 3 starter Robert Gasser. And then there are superstar prospects like Chourio. 

He won't finish that high in MVP voting this season, but it might be the last time for a long time. Injury held him to 127 games this season and he still posted 4.9 WAR. He's gone 20-20 (home runs and steals) in three seasons already. We've seen all five tools in the playoffs. 

The hit tool? Yeah, he's 8 for 14 in the World Series, good for a cool .571 average. Power? He's hit two home runs in the postseason so far. Speed? He stole a base in Game 3, giving him three World Series steals so far. The glove and arm were on display in Game 2, when he threw out an all-important Rays baserunner at home. 

When you watch Chourio play, he makes you feel like there's nothing he can't do on a baseball field. It's true, and he's only starting to scratch the proverbial surface. He wouldn't be a bad prediction for National League MVP next season. But first, he's strutting his stuff on the biggest stage.

Anyone who has watched him play regularly isn't surprised one bit by the performance in this World Series. He's long had the talent and confidence and swagger of a superstar. And just as importantly, he's signed with the Brewers on a team-friendly deal through the 2031 season with two more club options running through 2033. He's poised to be the face of the organization for a long time. 

The Brewers are better in every facet, and the Rays blew their only opening in three games so far when they put up four runs in the first inning of Game 2, then failed to score again in a 5-4 loss. Hell, they haven't scored since. And they got the doors blown off them in Game 3 by the superior team. In the case of men vs. boys here, one of the youngest players in the series is the biggest, baddest man of all.