World Series: Tampa Bay Forces Decider with 12th-Inning Rally

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash made a tactical call that kept his team in the World Series. With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the 12th inning, Cash sent Ben Williamson to bat for Victor Mesa Jr. Williamson, who had gone 1-for-15 in the postseason, hit a chopper over first baseman Jake Bauers into right field. The run won the game 4-3 and forced a Game 5.

The rally began with an error. Joey Ortiz, playing third base for Milwaukee, dropped Junior Caminero's leadoff grounder. Caminero advanced to second on the play before being replaced by pinch-runner Cedric Mullins. Liam Hicks then singled off rookie left-hander Shane Drohan, and DeLuca hit a single to center field that scored Mullins and tied the game.

Chandler Simpson loaded the bases with a single. Milwaukee employed a five-man infield shift to protect the plate. Cash admitted the strategy worked. "That was totally what I told him to do," Cash said, referring to Williamson's approach. Williamson described the effort as a big swing and said the team needed to recall the sequence of events.

The Rays became the fourth team in World Series history to avoid elimination with an extra-inning comeback. The previous three teams that achieved this feat, the 1912 Red Sox, the 1986 Mets, and the 2011 Cardinals, all went on to win the championship. Tampa Bay is the fifth team in 26 years to win Game 4 after falling behind 3-0 in the series.

Cooper Pratt hit a home run off Ian Seymour in the top of the 12th inning to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. It was his fourth hit of the game. The 22-year-old rookie had previously driven in a tying run in the second inning. Milwaukee fans, numbering 40,514 at Tropicana Field, celebrated the lead before the Rays' counterattack.

Junior Caminero hobbled off the field with an ailing left foot after the game. Cash said Caminero will play in Game 5 despite the injury. The Rays ended an eight-game winning streak for the Brewers. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. Jacob Misiorowski is scheduled to start for Milwaukee, while Cash has not named a starter for Tampa Bay.