How the Rays Stayed Alive: 4 Takeaways From Tampa Bay’s 12th-Inning Rally

A comeback in the 12th

Cooper Pratt gave Milwaukee the lead with a 396-foot home run to left field in the 12th inning at Tropicana Park. The blast came after the Rays had put their season in danger with a 10-1 loss in Game 3, leaving them down 3-0 in the series.

Tampa Bay answered in the bottom half. After a fielding error, four straight singles brought home the winning run and ensured the Rays would play at least one more day.

Errors shaped the game

The Rays had taken an early lead when Junior Caminero scored on a throwing error by Brewers third baseman David Hamilton. The errant throw went past first baseman Jake Bauers, allowing Caminero to score on Jonny DeLuca’s grounder.

Brewers relievers held firm

Milwaukee’s bullpen kept Tampa Bay scoreless for eight innings. JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe, DL Hall and Trevor Megill all contributed scoreless work, while Aaron Ashby retired all seven batters he faced.

Ashby extended his postseason record to 18 consecutive relief innings. The Brewers’ high-leverage relievers had been rested after their 10-1 Game 3 victory, but Milwaukee’s relief effort ended when its remaining weapons were gone in the 12th.

Series reaches Game 5

Pratt had also helped Milwaukee earlier, hitting a game-tying RBI double in the fourth inning. The Brewers had signed the shortstop to an eight-year extension in April, before his MLB debut and after only a handful of Triple-A at-bats.

Jacob Misiorowski, the NL Cy Young favorite, was coming off his most productive postseason outing, though he had not yet shown the form that made him MLB’s most unhittable starter. Drew Rasmussen could start Game 5 on four days’ rest, while Nick Martinez pitched two relief innings in Game 4.

If Tampa Bay forces Game 6, it would make history. None of the four other teams to reach Game 5 after falling behind 3-0 in the World Series went on to force a sixth game.