Rays Rally in 12th to Force Game 5 of World Series
Tampa Bay staves off elimination with a dramatic comeback, extending the series against the Brewers.
The Tampa Bay Rays secured a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the World Series, forcing a Game 5 with a stunning rally in the 12th inning. The Brewers were three outs away from clinching their first World Series title before a series of errors and clutch hits allowed the Rays to tie and then win the game.
Milwaukee rookie Cooper Pratt had given the Brewers a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th with a tie-breaking home run. However, the Rays responded in the bottom half of the inning. After an error by third baseman Joey Ortiz allowed the leadoff runner to reach, the Rays strung together consecutive singles from Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, and Chandler Simpson against rookie pitcher Shane Drohan. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson then delivered the decisive blow, hitting a chopper that landed for a base hit and scored the winning run.
The dramatic comeback marks the fourth time in World Series history that a team has avoided elimination with an extra-inning comeback. Tampa Bay now faces the challenge of becoming only the fourth team to trail 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series and winning, a feat previously only achieved by the Boston Red Sox in the 2004 AL Championship Series.
Despite the late-game collapse, Brewers captain Christian Yelich acknowledged the team's resilience. "Sometimes the game tests you. Sometimes the game makes you want to dig deep," Yelich said. "It’s all part of the journey, all part of the experience, and that’s part of our story."
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. The Brewers are expected to start NL Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski, while the Rays have not yet announced their starter. Tampa Bay aims to continue its fight, with manager Kevin Cash noting the team's resiliency. "We've got a lot of fight in us. We’re never going to shy away," Cash said.
The loss ended an eight-game winning streak for the Brewers, who were aiming to become the second team to sweep both a League Championship Series and the World Series. The 4-hour, 20-minute game concluded at 12:28 a.m., with Williamson's walk-off hit being the first pinch-hit extra-inning walk-off in the World Series since 1991.