Rays Force Game 5 With 12th-Inning Comeback

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash watched his team escape elimination from the World Series on Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in twelve innings to force a decisive Game 5.

Milwaukee took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th. Cooper Pratt hit a home run off Ian Seymour. It was his fourth hit of the game and the second of the series for the 22-year-old rookie. The Brewers had won their previous eight games and were one hit away from their first championship.

The Rays turned the tide in the bottom of the 12th. Junior Caminero grounded out to start the inning. Third baseman Joey Ortiz threw the ball past first baseman Jake Bauers for an error. That error put Caminero on base and ignited the rally.

Liam Hicks singled off Shane Drohan. Drohan had not pitched since October 15. Pinch-runner Cedric Mullins scored on a single by Jonny DeLuca to center field. The score tied at 3-3 with the bases loaded after Chandler Simpson singled.

Ben Williamson came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. The pinch-hitter chipped a ball over first base and into right field. Williamson had gone 1-for-15 in the postseason before this at-bat. His hit drove in the winning run.

The Brewers ended an eight-game winning streak. Milwaukee was bidding to become only the second team to sweep both the League Championship Series and the World Series. Tampa Bay became the fifth team in history to win Game 4 after falling behind 3-0 in the World Series.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. The attendance on Tuesday was 40,514. Many Brewers fans wore cheeseheads and waved yellow towels. The Rays played in white home jerseys, a change from the Devil Rays throwbacks worn the previous day.