The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings Tuesday night at Tropicana Field in World Series Game 4. Tampa Bay avoided a sweep, but Milwaukee still leads the series 3-1. The victory forced a fifth game.
Cooper Pratt gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead with a solo home run in the top of the 12th inning. Tampa Bay answered when Junior Caminero reached first on a throwing error by Joey Ortiz to start the rally. Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson followed with singles to keep the comeback moving.
Ben Williamson finished the rally with a bases-loaded walk-off single to right field. The Tampa Bay infielder entered as a pinch hitter for Victor Mesa Jr. with Milwaukee left-hander Shane Drohan pitching. Williamson’s hit was his first of the World Series and his second of the postseason.
Rays survive a marathon
The game lasted four hours and 19 minutes before the 12th-inning drama. Tampa Bay used 205 pitches to outlast Milwaukee and force Game 5. Six Rays relievers combined to hold the Brewers to one run over eight innings.
Nick Martinez pitched two scoreless innings in relief for Tampa Bay, and Bryan Baker followed with two more scoreless innings. Martinez would have started Game 5 before appearing out of the bullpen. The Rays’ pitching plan for Game 5 remained unclear after the victory.
Milwaukee prepares for Game 5
Milwaukee is scheduled to start Jacob Misiorowski in Game 5. The 24-year-old right-hander pitched five innings of one-run ball in Milwaukee’s Game 1 victory and has allowed four runs across three postseason starts. Misiorowski has not recorded an out in the sixth inning during those starts.
Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy also used several relievers for extended stretches in Game 4. DL Hall pitched five outs, Abner Uribe pitched six and Aaron Ashby pitched seven. Their availability for Game 5 will be part of Milwaukee’s pitching considerations.
If Tampa Bay wins Game 5, the series is scheduled to return to Milwaukee. The Rays still face a 3-1 deficit despite extending the matchup with their late rally. Williamson’s hit preserved Tampa Bay’s opportunity after Pratt’s home run put Milwaukee ahead in the 12th inning.
FSB Take
Tampa Bay’s win extended the World Series after the Rays used 205 pitches and six relievers to reach the decisive rally. Martinez and Baker each worked two scoreless innings in relief, adding to the pitching workload before Game 5. The immediate challenge is for Tampa Bay to build on the walk-off victory while managing a pitching plan that was still unclear after the game.
Source: Original report