The Tampa Bay Rays secured a dramatic 4-3 victory in 12 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night, avoiding a World Series sweep and forcing a Game 5.
Trailing 3-2 in the top of the 12th after Brewers rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt hit a solo home run off reliever Ian Seymour, the Rays rallied in the bottom frame. A fielding error by third baseman Joey Ortiz allowed Junior Caminero to reach base. Liam Hicks followed with a single through the left side, and Jonny DeLuca grounded up the middle to bring home the tying run. After a single by Simpson loaded the bases, pinch-hitter Ben Williamson bounced a single into right field to drive in the winning run, setting off a celebration on the artificial turf.
The four-hour, 20-minute contest kept the Rays from becoming the victims of a dominant Milwaukee postseason run. The Brewers had entered the matchup riding an eight-game postseason winning streak and stood just three outs away from sweeping both a League Championship Series and a World Series. Instead, the loss halted their momentum and handed Tampa Bay a historic lifeline.
Statistical milestones accompanied the extra-inning battle. Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby extended his record-breaking postseason scoreless streak to 18 consecutive innings, surpassing a mark previously held by Andrew Miller from 2016. Meanwhile, the Rays joined rare historical company: only the 1910 Chicago Cubs had previously secured a postseason walk-off win while facing elimination and a sweep.
Throughout the night, both bullpens were heavily taxed. Tampa Bay summoned would-be Game 5 starter Nick Martinez for two scoreless relief innings, while Seymour recovered from yielding Pratt’s go-ahead homer to strand a runner and keep the deficit at a single run.
With the victory, the Rays became only the 11th team out of 44 to force a Game 5 after falling behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven series. They now face the daunting task of attempting to become the fifth team overall—and the first in World Series history—to force a Game 6.
“We’ve got one more day,” Seymour said after the game. “Now let’s make it two more days.”
