Tampa Bay Rays Force Game 5 After Dramatic 12-Inning Victory Over Milwaukee Brewers
The Rays avoided a World Series sweep with a walk-off win in Game 4, extending the series to at least a fifth game.
The Tampa Bay Rays secured a crucial victory in Game 4 of the World Series, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in a 12-inning marathon to avoid a championship sweep. The win forces the series to continue, at minimum, to Game 5.
Milwaukee entered the do-or-die Game 4 with a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. However, for the first time in the series, the Brewers were unable to close out the championship.
Rays pinch-hitter Ben Williamson delivered a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning to secure the win for Tampa Bay. This dramatic finish came after Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt had hit what appeared to be the championship-sealing home run in the top of the 12th, breaking a deadlock.
Tampa Bay, facing elimination, rallied in their final at-bat. Jonny DeLuca hit a game-tying single two batters before Williamson stepped up to the plate to extend the series.
Historically, teams trailing 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series have a slim chance of recovery. Only one team, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series, achieving this feat against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. In the World Series specifically, 25 teams have held a 3-0 lead, with 21 of those teams completing the sweep in Game 4. The remaining four teams won the series in Game 5.
Brewers fans, some traveling from Wisconsin and sporting regional attire, saw their hopes of a championship celebration postponed. The series now heads back to Milwaukee for Game 5, with the Rays aiming to continue their improbable comeback.