Rays force World Series Game 5 after 12th-inning rally

Residents of Central Alabama tracking the World Series will see the race for the championship continue into Wednesday. The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 3-4 in a 12th-inning thriller on Tuesday night. The result forces a deciding Game 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The game featured a dramatic shift in momentum during the final frames. The Brewers took a 3-1 lead in the top of the 12th inning. Cooper Pratt hit a home run off reliever Ian Seymour. This marked his fourth hit of the game and put Milwaukee one out away from its first World Series title.

The Rays answered in the bottom half after a defensive miscue. Third baseman Joey Ortiz committed a throwing error on a grounder from Junior Caminero against Antonio Senzatela. The mistake allowed the bases to load. Liam Hicks singled to tie the score at 3. Cedric Mullins scored on the play, ending the Brewers' eight-game winning streak.

The winning hit came from pinch-hitter Ben Williamson. He replaced Victor Mesa Jr. at the plate. Williamson batted through a five-man infield defense and hit a chopper over first baseman Jake Bauers. The ball landed in right field to end the game. Rays manager Kevin Cash said he instructed Williamson to make that specific swing. Cash noted that Williamson had previously gone 1 for 15 in the postseason.

Junior Caminero exited the game with a left foot injury after leading off the 12th inning. He was replaced by pinch-runner Cedric Mullins at third base. Caminero hobbled off the field but stated he will play in Game 5. Cash confirmed the All-Star slugger will take the field, joking that he would play on one leg if necessary.

The Rays became the fourth team in World Series history to avoid elimination with an extra-inning comeback. The previous three teams that accomplished this feat, the 1912 Red Sox, 1986 Mets, and 2011 Cardinals, all went on to win the championship. Tampa Bay is also the fifth of 26 teams to win Game 4 after trailing 3-0 in the series. The previous four teams in this specific situation lost Game 5.

Jacob Misiorowski, the favorite for the National League Cy Young Award, is scheduled to start for the Brewers on Wednesday. Rays manager Kevin Cash has not yet selected a starter for Tampa Bay. The crowd of 40,514 included many Milwaukee fans waving yellow towels and wearing cheeseheads. The Rays wore white home jerseys, returning to that uniform after playing in throwback kits the previous day.

Brewers captain Christian Yelich said the team understands the series is supposed to be difficult. He noted that winning a championship requires surviving hard moments. Cooper Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie, drove in the go-ahead run earlier in the game with an RBI double in the second inning. He had previously hit a two-run home run in Game 2. Brewers manager Pat Murphy praised Pratt for responding to pressure.

The game saw other offensive contributions from both sides. David Hamilton homered for Milwaukee against Griffin Jax. Jackson Chourio had a single and a double for the Brewers. For the Rays, Chandler Simpson hit an RBI double in the second inning off starter Dustin May. The series continues with the next game scheduled for Wednesday night.