Rays Tie World Series at 3-0 Deficit to Force Decider

Tampa Bay fans at Tropicana Field watched their team tie a 4-3 World Series score in the final out of the 12th inning on Tuesday night. The result forces a Game 5 matchup on Wednesday and keeps the Rays alive against the Milwaukee Brewers. The crowd of 40,514 saw a dramatic finish that stopped Milwaukee from sweeping the series. The Brewers had won the previous eight games, a streak that included their League Championship Series victories.

The game began with Tampa Bay taking an early lead. Chandler Simpson hit an RBI double off starter Dustin May in the second inning. Milwaukee answered in the fourth when Ryan Frelick singled and scored on a double by Cooper Pratt. The score stood 2-1 in favor of the visitors for the next eight frames. Both teams exchanged hits without changing the lead count. The tension built as the innings progressed toward extra time.

In the top of the 12th, Cooper Pratt hit a home run off Ian Seymour. The 22-year-old rookie drove a slider into the left-field seats for his fourth hit of the game. This made the score 3-1. Milwaukee fans, many waving yellow towels and wearing cheesehead hats, cheered as their team neared a championship. Pratt became the first rookie to hit an extra-inning home run in World Series history. His hit extended his postseason hitting streak to 10 for 20.

The Rays responded in the bottom half after a defensive error. Joey Ortiz mishandled a grounder from Junior Caminero, allowing the runner to advance. Liam Hicks singled to load the bases. Jonny DeLuca then hit a single to center field. Pinch-runner Cedric Mullins scored from second base to tie the game at 3. The bases remained loaded after that score. Milwaukee fielders shifted to an infield defense with the runner on first base.

Ben Williamson, the designated pinch-hitter, came to the plate with the bases loaded. He had batted 1 for 15 in the postseason before this at-bat. Williamson hit a ground ball over the head of first baseman Jake Bauers and into right field. The ball landed in fair territory, scoring the tying run and giving Tampa Bay the lead. The error by Ortiz and the subsequent rallies prevented Milwaukee from securing a four-game sweep.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay will wear its white home jerseys for the contest. The Rays become only the fifth team in history to win a game after falling behind 3-0 in a World Series. The previous four teams that accomplished this feat lost the next game. The Brewers aim to become the second team in history to sweep both the League Championship Series and the World Series. David Hamilton also hit a home run for Milwaukee during the game. He drove an 0-2 fastball into the right-field stands in the sixth inning.

The Rays enter the decider with a single win needed to level the series. The Brewers hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven matchup. The next game will determine if the series continues to a sixth contest or if the title is decided in five games. The stadium lights in St. Petersburg illuminated the field for the final minutes of Tuesday's game. The crowd noise swelled as Williamson's bloop single landed safely in the outfield grass.