Rays Rally In 12th, Force Game 5

Tampa Bay scored twice in the bottom of the 12th inning on Tuesday night to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 at Tropicana Field, avoiding elimination and forcing a Game 5 in the World Series. Milwaukee had taken the lead earlier in the inning on a home run by rookie Cooper Pratt off reliever Ian Seymour, his fourth hit of the game. The Rays answered after third baseman Joey Ortiz threw wide on a leadoff grounder off the bat of Junior Caminero, putting a runner aboard against Antonio Senzatela. Liam Hicks followed with a single against Shane Drohan, and Jonny DeLuca singled to center to bring home pinch-runner Cedric Mullins and tie the game at 3.

Chandler Simpson then singled to load the bases. Milwaukee responded by bringing five infielders in, but Ben Williamson, who had one hit in 15 postseason at-bats, batted for Victor Mesa Jr. and sent a chopper over first baseman Jake Bauers into right field for the go-ahead runs. Tampa Bay became the fourth team in World Series history to win an elimination game with an extra-inning comeback, according to OptaSTATS. The 1912 Red Sox, 1986 Mets and 2011 Cardinals did it before the Rays, and all three went on to win the title.

The rally arrived after Pratt had put Milwaukee ahead. He drove a slider from Seymour into the left-field seats in the top of the 12th. Pratt had tied the game at 1 with an RBI double in the second inning. David Hamilton also homered for the Brewers, hitting a 0-2 fastball from Griffin Jax into right field in the fifth. Milwaukee's win streak stood at eight games before Tuesday, and the Brewers were seeking to become only the second team to sweep a League Championship Series and the World Series.

Earlier, Chandler Simpson doubled off Dustin May in the second to put Tampa Bay ahead. Milwaukee tied it in the fourth when Sal Frelick singled with two outs and scored on Pratt's double. Caminero singled to open the bottom of the fourth and moved up on a groundout. DeLuca hit a grounder to Hamilton, and Caminero reached home after Hamilton's throw got past Bauers for an error. Jax allowed two runs over his outing, and May was lifted after Caminero's single in the fourth.

Caminero left the game after reaching base in the 12th, hobbled by a left foot issue, and Mullins replaced him at third base. Caminero said he will play in Game 5. Kevin Cash had not named a starter for Wednesday's game as of Tuesday night. Milwaukee is set to send NL Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski to the mound at Tropicana Field. The crowd of 40,514 included Milwaukee fans waving yellow towels and wearing cheeseheads.

Tampa Bay now trails 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. The Rays are seeking their first championship, and Milwaukee is seeking its first as well. Tampa Bay became the fifth of 26 teams to win Game 4 after falling behind 3-0 in a World Series. The previous four lost Game 5. Among 43 teams that trailed 3-0 in any best-of-seven postseason series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox came back to win, beating the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Jackson Chourio went 2 for 4 to reach 10 for 20 in the Series.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field.