Rays Force World Series Decider After 12th-Inning Comeback
A defensive error and a rare extra-inning home run kept Tampa Bay alive against a Milwaukee Brewers team seeking a historic sweep.
By Thomas Obasi ·
Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash watched his team avoid elimination in the bottom of the 12th inning, a sequence of events that extended the World Series to a decisive Game 5. The Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, snapping an eight-game winning streak for Milwaukee and keeping their own championship hopes intact.
The game featured a rare extra-inning home run from Cooper Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie. Pratt hit the ball off Ian Seymour into the left-field seats, giving Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. It was his fourth hit of the game and the first extra-inning home run by a rookie in World Series history. Milwaukee fans, who filled a crowd of 40,514 and waved yellow towels, erupted as their team moved closer to its first title.
Tampa Bay responded immediately after a throwing error by Joey Ortiz on a grounder from Junior Caminero. Cedric Mullins scored on a single by Jonny DeLuca to tie the game at three runs. With the bases loaded, pinch-hitter Ben Williamson hit a chopper into right field to secure the win. Williamson had previously struggled in the postseason, going 1 for 15 before this at-bat.
The outcome places the Rays in a historically difficult position. Only four other teams in history have won Game 4 after trailing 3-0 in the World Series, and all four of those teams subsequently lost Game 5. In the wider context of best-of-seven postseason series, only the 2004 Red Sox have ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a series.
Milwaukee had been bidding to become the second team to sweep both a league championship and the World Series. David Hamilton also homered for the Brewers, while Jackson Chourio improved his postseason average to 10 for 20. The series will continue Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, where Tampa Bay is scheduled to wear its white home uniforms.
The series has been defined by back-and-forth scoring. Griffin Jax and Dustin May started for their respective teams in Tuesday's game. Simpson hit an RBI double for Tampa Bay in the second inning, but Milwaukee tied the score in the fourth. The Brewers' pitching staff, including Shane Drohan and Antonio Senzatela, faced increased pressure in the later innings as the game entered extra frames.
