Rays Walk Off Brewers 4-3 in 12 Innings to Force World Series Game 5

By
Harris
-
23

Key Points

  • The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, cutting Milwaukee’s World Series lead to 3-1.
  • Cooper Pratt’s solo home run put the Brewers ahead 3-2 in the top of the 12th, three outs from their first championship.
  • An error by third baseman Joey Ortiz opened the bottom of the inning, and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson’s single won it shortly before 12:30 a.m. ET.
  • Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby ran his scoreless streak to 18 innings, a record for a reliever in a single postseason.
  • Game 5 is Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET (5 a.m. PKT Thursday) on FOX. Jacob Misiorowski starts for Milwaukee; the Rays had not named a starter.

World Series Game 4 went 12 innings, and the Tampa Bay Rays are still alive. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson bounced a single into right field to finish a two-run rally, and the Rays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Milwaukee, chasing its first World Series title, still leads the best-of-seven series 3-1.

What happened

The Rays scored first when Chandler Simpson doubled home Jonny DeLuca in the second inning. Milwaukee tied it in the fourth on Pratt’s run-scoring double, which scored Sal Frelick, according to ESPN’s play-by-play.

Tampa Bay went back ahead in the bottom of the fourth on a Brewers mistake. Third baseman David Hamilton missed a tag on Junior Caminero and then threw wildly to first, letting Caminero score for a 2-1 lead. Hamilton made up for it in the fifth with a solo home run off Rays starter Griffin Jax, and the game stayed tied at 2 into extra innings.

Jax lasted four innings, allowing two runs and striking out six. The Rays used seven pitchers in all, including Nick Martinez, who had been the most likely Game 5 starter before he threw two scoreless innings in relief, MLB.com reported.

Ashby’s record run

Ashby recorded seven outs without allowing a run. That pushed his streak this postseason to 18 innings, passing Andrew Miller’s 16 in 2016 for the longest by a reliever within a single postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, as cited by MLB.com. “It’s one of those cool things I guess,” Ashby said. “But more so, that loss stings.”

How the 12th inning unfolded

Pratt led off the top of the 12th against Ian Seymour and hit a home run for his fourth hit of the night, giving Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. After a two-out double by Jackson Chourio, Seymour got Jake Bauers to pop out.

Caminero opened the bottom half by grounding to Ortiz, whose throw bounced in front of Bauers at first and off his glove. Liam Hicks singled through the left side, and Caminero, limping, raced to third. DeLuca’s single up the middle scored pinch-runner Cedric Mullins to tie it, and Simpson’s single loaded the bases.

Williamson then chopped a ball over first base and into right field, scoring pinch-runner Nick Fortes. Seymour got the win and Brewers rookie Shane Drohan took the loss in a game that lasted 4 hours, 20 minutes before a crowd of 40,514.

Latest development

“We’ve got one more day,” Seymour said, according to MLB.com’s Game 4 story. “Now let’s make it two more days.”

“We pieced together a big inning, maybe the most important inning of our season,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said, per MLB.com. Ortiz took the blame for the error. “There’s no excuse. Not one at all,” he said, according to USA Today’s game coverage.

Confirmed vs. still unclear

Confirmed: Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Misiorowski will start Game 5, USA Today reported, and he is listed as Milwaukee’s probable starter by MLB and ESPN.

Still unclear: Cash did not name a Game 5 starter after the game, MLB.com reported, and as of 10:20 a.m. ET Wednesday (7:20 p.m. PKT) neither MLB nor ESPN listed one for the Rays. Caminero’s status is also uncertain after he left the game limping. “He’ll play tomorrow with one leg. I’ll make sure of it,” Cash said, according to USA Today.

How to watch World Series Game 5

  • Matchup: Milwaukee Brewers at Tampa Bay Rays (Milwaukee leads 3-1)
  • Date and time: Wednesday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m. ET (5 a.m. PKT Thursday, Oct. 29)
  • Venue: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
  • TV: FOX and FOX Deportes
  • Streaming: FOX One
  • Probable starters: Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers); Rays not yet announced

Why it matters

Tampa Bay is the 44th team to fall behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven series and only the 11th to force a Game 5, MLB.com noted. No team has ever come back from that deficit in the World Series.

The win was rare in another way. MLB.com counted 16 previous walk-off wins in World Series history by a team facing elimination, but the only one by a team facing a sweep came from the 1910 Chicago Cubs.

The Brewers had taken control with a comeback win in Game 2 and a 10-1 rout in Game 3. The Rays reached this stage after they beat Cleveland for the American League pennant.

What happens next

A Brewers win in Game 5 would clinch the franchise’s first World Series championship. If the Rays win again, the series shifts to American Family Field in Milwaukee for Game 6 on Friday, Oct. 30, and, if needed, Game 7 on Saturday, Oct. 31, according to the MLB schedule. Both start at 8 p.m. ET (5 a.m. PKT the next day).

Related live coverage

LiveNewsWorld does not stream the games. For live national news channels, visit our Watch Live hub.

Sources