Rays Force World Series Decider With 12th-Inning Rally

Tampa Bay entered Tuesday night's matchup facing elimination in the World Series. The Rays needed a miracle to keep their season alive against the Milwaukee Brewers. They delivered one in the final moments of extra innings.

The visitors took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th inning. Cooper Pratt hit a home run off reliever Ian Seymour. The blast gave the Brewers a chance to complete a historic sweep and claim their first title. However, a defensive miscue in the bottom half changed the course of the series.

Junior Caminero grounded out to lead off the inning. Third baseman Joey Ortiz threw to first base, but the ball sailed past Jake Bauers. Liam Hicks followed with a single against rookie Shane Drohan. Jonny DeLuca then singled to center field. The hit drove in pinch-runner Cedric Mullins, tying the score at 3.

Chandler Simpson singled to load the bases. Milwaukee shifted to a five-man infield with the runner on first. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson stepped in for Victor Mesa Jr. Williamson hit a chopper over first baseman Jake Bauers into right field. The walk-off hit gave the Rays a 4-3 victory and forced a Game 5.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said he told Williamson to hit the ball into that gap. Cash laughed as he recalled the instruction. He noted that it was a big swing and he had to replay the sequence in his mind to process the moment.

OptaSTATS data indicates Tampa Bay became the fourth team in World Series history to avoid elimination with an extra-inning comeback. The previous three teams, the 1912 Red Sox, 1986 Mets, and 2011 Cardinals, all went on to win the championship. The Rays ended an eight-game winning streak for Milwaukee, who were attempting to become the second team to sweep both the League Championship Series and the World Series.

Caminero left the game with an injury to his left foot. Manager Kevin Cash stated that the All-Star slugger will play Wednesday night on one leg. Jacob Misiorowski, the favorite for the National League Cy Young Award, is scheduled to start for the Brewers. Cash had not yet announced the starting pitcher for the Rays.

Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie, drove the ball into the left-field seats against Seymour. He had earlier tied the score at 1 with an RBI double in the second inning. Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised the young player's response to pressure. The crowd of 40,514 at Tropicana Field included many Milwaukee fans waving yellow towels and wearing cheesehead hats.