Rays Rally in 12th Inning to Edge Brewers in Game 4, Forcing World Series Game 5

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays mounted a dramatic two-run rally in the bottom of the 12th inning Tuesday night to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3, staving off elimination and forcing a Game 5 in the World Series. Milwaukee had entered the frame just three outs away from clinching the first championship in franchise history before a defensive miscue and a barrage of hits unraveled the Brewers' lead at Tropicana Field.

Milwaukee had seized momentum in the top of the 12th when 22-year-old rookie Cooper Pratt drove a slider from Rays reliever Ian Seymour over the left-field fence. The solo blast broke a 2-2 tie and made Pratt the first rookie in Major League Baseball history to hit an extra-inning home run in the World Series, setting off a wild celebration in the Brewers' dugout as a four-game sweep appeared imminent.

The celebration proved premature. In the bottom of the 12th, Tampa Bay slugger Junior Caminero opened the inning against Antonio Senzatela with a routine ground ball to third base. Joey Ortiz bounced his throw across the diamond, and the ball deflected off first baseman Jake Bauers' glove for an error. Caminero reached safely and advanced to third on a single by Liam Hicks against rookie reliever Shane Drohan, whom Brewers manager Pat Murphy summoned from the bullpen.

With pinch-runner Cedric Mullins on third, Jonny DeLuca grounded a single up the middle past a diving Drohan to drive home the tying run. After Chandler Simpson lined another single into center field to load the bases, Milwaukee brought in a five-man infield. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson then chopped the 367th pitch of the marathon contest over Bauers' head down the right-field line, bringing Nick Fortes home with the winning run in a game that lasted 4 hours and 20 minutes.

The defeat snapped an eight-game postseason winning streak for the Brewers, who were attempting to become only the second team in major league history to sweep both the League Championship Series and the World Series, a feat accomplished solely by the 1976 Cincinnati Reds. Ortiz took responsibility for opening the door to Tampa Bay's comeback, saying after the game, "I've got to make that play. Just no excuse about it."

Before the bullpen finally cracked, Milwaukee left-hander Aaron Ashby achieved a historic milestone by retiring all seven batters he faced in relief. Ashby surpassed Andrew Miller's 2016 record for the most consecutive scoreless relief innings in a single postseason, extending his spotless mark to 18 frames across nine playoff appearances this October before Murphy lifted him in the 11th inning due to dropping velocity.

Drohan, a 27-year-old left-hander who had not appeared in a game since an NLCS start on Oct. 15, took the loss after yielding four straight singles. Murphy defended the bullpen usage, noting that his team was drained by the 12th inning after using seven pitchers on the night. "Sometimes the game tests you. Sometimes the game makes you want to dig deep," Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. "It’s all part of the journey, all part of the experience, and that’s part of our story."

The victory made the Rays only the fifth team out of 26 to force a Game 5 after falling behind 3-0 in the World Series. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said Caminero, who hobbled off the field with an injured left foot during the rally, would be in the lineup for Wednesday's contest. Milwaukee will send ace Jacob Misiorowski to the mound to start Game 5 at Tropicana Field, while the Rays had yet to announce their starting pitcher.