Rays Rally in 12th Inning to Edge Brewers 4-3, Extending World Series to Game 5
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Faced with a sweep and postseason elimination, the Tampa Bay Rays orchestrated a dramatic two-run comeback in the bottom of the 12th inning on Tuesday night to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 and force Game 5 in the World Series.
Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson bounced a game-winning single over first baseman Jake Bauers into right field to cap the rally. Williamson, who had entered the night 1 for 15 in playoff action, batted for Victor Mesa Jr. Against rookie left-hander Shane Drohan. Drohan was making his first pitching appearance since Oct. 15.
“That was totally what I told him to do,” Rays manager Kevin Cash joked after the game.
Late Drama in St. Petersburg
Milwaukee appeared poised to celebrate its first World Series title when 22-year-old rookie Cooper Pratt broke a 3-3 deadlock in the top of the 12th. Pratt drove a slider from Ian Seymour into the left-field seats for a home run, capping a four-hit night. The blast made Pratt the first rookie in major league history to hit an extra-inning home run in the World Series.
“This kid responds to everything,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
However, Tampa Bay answered immediately in the bottom half of the frame against reliever Antonio Senzatela. Junior Caminero reached leading off when third baseman Joey Ortiz committed a throwing error. After Caminero hobbled off with a left foot injury, pinch-runner Cedric Mullins replaced him. Liam Hicks then singled off Drohan, and Jonny DeLuca lined an RBI single to center field to tie the score at 3.
Chandler Simpson singled to load the bases, prompting Milwaukee to bring in a five-man infield before Williamson delivered his game-ending chopper.
“We’ve got a lot of fight in us. We’re never going to shy away,” Simpson said. “We were going to keep fighting until the end — the last inning, the last out, the last play, the last pitch. We were going to keep fighting. That’s what we did tonight.”
Historical Odds and Game 5 Ahead
According to OptaSTATS, Tampa Bay is only the fourth team in World Series history to avoid elimination by staging an extra-inning comeback. The previous three franchises—the 1912 Boston Red Sox, 1986 New York Mets, and 2011 St. Louis Cardinals—all went on to win the championship. Out of 26 teams to trail 3-0 in World Series history, the Rays are just the fifth to win Game 4. None of the previous four managed to win Game 5.
The victory also halted an eight-game winning streak for Milwaukee, which was trying to become the second team ever to sweep both its League Championship Series and the World Series.
“If you want to win a championship, you’ve got to survive some hard things,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “Like I said earlier, it’s supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to test you. We understand that.”
Game 5 takes place Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. The Brewers plan to send NL Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski to the mound, while Cash hasn’t yet announced a starting pitcher for Tampa Bay.