Rays Walk Off to Force Series Decider

Twelve of the thirteen hardest-hit balls during Tuesday’s World Series Game 4 resulted in outs for the Milwaukee Brewers. The team that generated the most power on the night lost by one run in extra innings.

The Tampa Bay Rays completed a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the 12th inning. They placed the first five batters on base to score four runs and win 4-3. The victory prevented a sweep and forces a decisive Game 5.

Milwaukee had taken a 3-2 lead earlier in the 12th. Cooper Pratt, a 22-year-old, led off the inning with a home run. The homer gave the Brewers the lead and put them three outs away from their first title. Pratt became the first 22-year-old to record four hits in a potential World Series clincher.

“That was probably one of the coolest swings of my life,” Pratt said. “But it’s over.”

The game turned when Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz made an errant throw to first base on Junior Caminero’s grounder. The error put the tying run on base. Manager Pat Murphy called on Shane Drohan to pitch. Drohan had not thrown a pitch in 12 days.

“I’m human,” Drohan said. “I know what I was walking into, and I just didn’t get the job done.”

Liam Hicks hit a hard ground ball that rolled through the left side of the infield. The ball reached the outfield because Pratt was positioned closer to second base to cover a left-handed hitter. This left runners on the corners with none out. Jonny DeLuca and Chandler Simpson then hit singles to load the bases.

Pinch hitter Ben Williamson finished the rally. He hit a chopper over the head of first baseman Jake Bauers into the outfield grass. The run scored, and the Rays won their second game of the series.

The loss ended a 21-day streak without a postseason defeat for Milwaukee. The Brewers had won 10 of their first 11 games in October. They also tied a franchise record with eight consecutive wins. Captain Christian Yelich noted the difficulty of the challenge. “This stuff is not supposed to be easy,” Yelich said. “It’s supposed to test you.”

Milwaukee had won 18 straight games when leading at any point in the contest, a streak dating to September 17. ESPN Research identified this as the longest single-season streak in franchise history. Ortiz accepted responsibility for the error. “I should make that play every f, ing time,” Ortiz said. Drohan maintained confidence in the team’s ability to recover. “Because we’ve done it all year,” Drohan said. “We’ve been the best team in baseball all year.”