Rays Defy History With 4-3 Victory to Force World Series Decider
Tampa Bay becomes the fifth team in history to win Game 4 after falling behind 3-0 in the World Series.
By Elena Perry ·
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, ending an eight-game winning streak and forcing a decisive Game 5.
The result places the Rays in rare historical territory. Tampa Bay is the fifth of 26 teams to overcome a 3-0 deficit in the World Series to take Game 4. The previous four teams in that situation lost the following game. In the wider postseason, only one team has ever erased a 3-0 hole in a best-of-seven series to win the title: the 2004 Boston Red Sox.
The game began with Milwaukee taking control. Cooper Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie, drove a slider into the left-field seats off Ian Seymour in the top of the 12th inning. It was his fourth hit of the day. Before that, Jackson Frelick had tied the score with a two-out single in the fourth inning, which came around on Pratt’s double. David Hamilton added a home run off starter Dustin May in the second inning. Hamilton, batting ninth, drove an 0-2 fastball into the right-field seats for his second home run of the postseason.
Tampa Bay answered in the bottom of the 12th. Junior Caminero led off with a grounder against Antonio Senzatela. A throwing error by third baseman Joey Ortiz allowed Caminero to reach base. Liam Hicks singled off Shane Drohan, and Jonny DeLuca singled to center, driving in pinch-runner Cedric Mullins to tie the score at 3. Chandler Simpson then loaded the bases with a single. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson, who had been 1 for 15 in the postseason, hit a chopper over first baseman Jake Bauers and into right field to win the game.
The Brewers had entered Tuesday seeking their first World Series title and a perfect sweep of both the League Championship Series and the World Series. They had won Game 2 behind Pratt’s extra-inning homer, the first by a rookie in World Series history. The crowd of 40,514 included many Milwaukee fans waving yellow towels.
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. The Rays will wear white home jerseys, a change from the Devil Rays throwbacks worn in Game 4. Jackson Chourio finished 10 for 20 in the series with a single and a double in Tuesday’s loss.
The Brewers had won the previous eight games against Tampa Bay. Their pitching staff included Griffin Jax, who started for Milwaukee, and Dustin May, who took the loss after allowing an RBI double to Chandler Simpson in the second inning.
