Rays Force Game 5 with Extra-Inning Victory Over Brewers
Tampa Bay mounted a dramatic comeback in Game 4 to avoid elimination and extend the World Series.
The Tampa Bay Rays kept their World Series hopes alive by defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in a 12-inning Game 4, forcing a decisive Game 5. The Rays, who trailed 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, became the fifth team in history to force a Game 5 after being down three games to none.
The Brewers took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th inning on a solo home run by rookie Cooper Pratt. However, the Rays responded in the bottom half of the inning. Following a fielding error by the Brewers' Joey Ortiz, Tampa Bay strung together four consecutive singles to tie the game and then secure the win.
Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt was a pivotal figure for the Brewers. He tied the game in the fourth inning with an RBI double and then hit a go-ahead solo home run in the 12th. Pratt, who signed an eight-year contract extension in April before making his MLB debut, finished the game 4-for-5 and had driven in runs in each of the last three games of the series.
David Hamilton, who hit the game-winning home run in the National League Championship Series clincher, also played a key role. After committing an error in the fourth inning that gave the Rays a 2-1 lead, he responded in the following inning with a game-tying home run off Rays pitcher Griffin Jax. In Game 2 of the World Series, an error by Pratt had initiated a four-run first inning for the Rays, but he later atoned for his mistake with the game-winning RBI single in the seventh.
The Brewers' bullpen, which had been a strength throughout the postseason, faltered late in Game 4. Milwaukee's bullpen had combined for eight scoreless innings before the Brewers' high-leverage arms were depleted, leading to the late-game struggles in the 12th.
Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers' ace, is slated to start Game 5. He is coming off his most productive postseason outing but has yet to fully replicate his regular-season dominance. The Rays have not yet announced their starting pitcher for Game 5, but Nick Martinez, who pitched two innings of relief in Game 4, is a possibility, or they could turn to Drew Rasmussen on four days' rest. If the Rays win Game 5, they would make history, as none of the previous four teams to force a Game 6 after trailing 3-0 in the World Series have gone on to win the championship.