Rays force Game 5 with 12th-inning rally over Brewers

The Tampa Bay Rays avoided elimination in the World Series on Tuesday night, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings at Tropicana Field.

The win forces a decisive Game 5 and snaps an eight-game winning streak for Milwaukee. It also ends the Brewers' bid to become the second team in history to sweep both the League Championship Series and the World Series.

Cooper Pratt hit a tiebreaking home run off Ian Seymour in the top of the 12th inning. The 22-year-old rookie had four hits in the game, including an RBI double in the second inning that tied the score at 1. Pratt became the first rookie in World Series history to hit an extra-inning home run.

Milwaukee appeared poised to close the series. Third baseman Joey Ortiz threw a wild pitch on Junior Caminero's leadoff grounder against reliever Antonio Senzatela in the bottom of the 12th. That error set the stage for the Rays' comeback.

Liam Hicks singled off rookie left-hander Shane Drohan. Jonny DeLuca then singled to center, scoring pinch-runner Cedric Mullins and tying the game at 3. Chandler Simpson followed with a single that loaded the bases.

Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson came up with the bases loaded and the Brewers playing an infield shift. Williamson, who had gone 1 for 15 in the postseason, hit a chopper over first baseman Jake Bauers into right field to win the game for Tampa Bay.

Rays manager Kevin Cash said he instructed Williamson to take a big swing. "That was totally what I told him to do," Cash said. He added that he needed to recall the sequence of events after the win.

Tampa Bay became the fourth team in World Series history to avoid elimination with an extra-inning comeback. According to OptaSTATS, the previous three teams to accomplish this feat, the 1912 Red Sox, 1986 Mets, and 2011 Cardinals, all went on to win the championship.

Junior Caminero hobbled off the field with an ailing left foot after being replaced by Mullins at third base. The All-Star slugger said he will definitely play Wednesday night. Cash joked that Caminero would play on one leg if necessary.

Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. Jacob Misiorowski is scheduled to start for the Brewers. Cash has not yet decided on a starter for Tampa Bay.

Milwaukee captain Christian Yelich noted that winning a championship requires surviving difficult moments. "It's supposed to be hard. It's supposed to test you," Yelich said. "We understand that."

Jackson Chourio finished the game with a single and a double, improving to 10 for 20 in the series. David Hamilton also homered for Milwaukee, driving a fastball into the right-field seats in the fourth inning to tie the score at 2.