Rays Force Game 5 With 4-3 Win in 12th Inning After Trailing 3-0

The Tampa Bay Rays avoided elimination on Tuesday night, scoring twice in the bottom of the 12th inning to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 and force a Game 5 in the World Series. Milwaukee had led 3-2 entering the final frame and was three outs from its first championship, but a defensive error and four consecutive singles erased the deficit.

The rally began when Rays rookie Junior Caminero reached first after Milwaukee third baseman Joey Ortiz bounced his throw, and the ball glanced off first baseman Jake Bauers' mitt. Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, Chandler Simpson and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson then delivered consecutive hits off Milwaukee reliever Shane Drohan over a 15-pitch span. Williamson, who was 1 for 15 in the postseason before the at-bat, hit a chopper on the game's 367th pitch that landed in short right field to score Nick Fortes with the winning run.

The Brewers had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th when rookie Cooper Pratt hit a home run off Ian Seymour, becoming the first rookie to homer in extra innings of a World Series game. Milwaukee's pitching staff had thrown seven consecutive scoreless innings before Caminero reached base. Milwaukee's David Hamilton also homered, and Jackson Chourio went 2 for 4 to reach 10 for 20 in the series.

The Rays became the fourth team in World Series history to win an elimination game with an extra-inning comeback, joining the 1912 Boston Red Sox, 1986 New York Mets and 2011 St. Louis Cardinals, according to OptaSTATS. Tampa Bay also became the fifth of 26 teams to win Game 4 after falling behind 3-0 in a World Series. Of 43 teams to trail 3-0 in any best-of-seven postseason series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox recovered to win the series.

Ortiz, whose throw contributed to the error, said he accepted responsibility for the play. "I've got to make that play," Ortiz said. "Just no excuse about it." Drohan, a 27-year-old left-hander who had not pitched since Oct. 15, said he understood the difficulty of the situation. "I knew what I was walking into. I just didn't do the job there," Drohan said.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said designated hitter Junior Caminero, who left the game with an ailing left foot, will play in Game 5. "He'll play tomorrow on one leg. I'll make sure of it," Cash said. The Rays ended Milwaukee's eight-game winning streak. The Brewers were attempting to become only the second team to sweep both a League Championship Series and the World Series.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, with NL Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski starting for Milwaukee. Cash had not announced a starter. The game ended at 12:28 a.m. after 4 hours, 20 minutes, with a crowd of 40,514 in attendance.

Williamson said the moment matched what he had imagined as a child. "You play Wiffle ball in the backyard with your friends and you're dreaming of hitting a walk-off ball in the World Series," Williamson said.