Well, we still don’t have a World Series champion! The Tampa Bay Rays just clawed their way back, forcing a Game 5 with an absolutely bonkers 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers. This thing went 12 innings, and the Rays pulled off a walk-off, scoring two runs in the bottom of the 12th to stay alive. Seriously, the Series isn’t over yet, not by a long shot.
This One Was a Brawl From the First Pitch
Unlike Game 3, this Game 4 was a grinder right from the jump. The Rays actually drew first blood in the second inning when Chandler Simpson blasted a ball into the right-field corner, bringing Jonny DeLuca home. That was huge, their first lead in the series since that four-run first inning way back in Game 2. DeLuca wasn’t done showing up, though. In the fourth, he made a ridiculous diving catch, robbing William Contreras of a leadoff single. You thought that momentum would last, right? Nope. Sal Frelick kept the inning alive with a two-out single, and then Cooper Pratt doubled him in to tie the game. Unbelievable, that was the ninth straight two-out run in this World Series by the Crew. Rays’ starter Griffin Jax did manage to stop the bleeding, striking out Garrett Mitchell with a runner on third to finally end the inning.
Managerial Gambles and Heroics (and a Few Goofs)
Even with a commanding 3-0 series lead, Brewers’ manager Pat Murphy wasn’t messing around with his bullpen strategy. After Jackson Chourio smacked a leadoff single, Murphy pulled starter Dustin May and brought in JoJo Romero. By the way, Chourio is just straight-up raking; he’s the first player since Paul O’Neill in 2000 to have nine hits through four World Series games. That leadoff single turned into another run for the Rays, too. A hard-hit ball by DeLuca almost got Junior Caminero tagged out at third, but Brewers’ third baseman David Hamilton made a wild throw to first, letting Caminero score. Murphy challenged the play, thinking Hamilton tagged Caminero, but the call stood. Hamilton quickly atoned for that boo-boo in the fifth, launching a home run to right field that tied the game up again. That was it for Jax’s night.
With their season on the line, Rays’ manager Kevin Cash literally left nothing in the tank. Nick Martinez, who started Game 1 and is even a possible Game 5 starter, came into the game in the sixth and delivered a clutch scoreless inning. The Rays got their leadoff guy on in the bottom of the sixth when Yandy Diaz singled, but then he got doubled off on a Jonathan Aranda line drive. That’s the ninth out on the bases for the Rays this World Series. You can’t be doing that when your season’s on the line! Bryan Baker came in for the Rays in the eighth, his first appearance of the series, and retired the Brewers on just seven pitches. Then, after D.J. Hall got the first two in the bottom of the eighth, Murphy brought in his closer, Trevor Megill. Megill did his job, keeping Game 4 tied heading into the ninth inning, where Mitchell…
What happens next? We’re heading to Game 5! The Rays just pulled off a miracle comeback, and the Brewers suddenly have to wonder if they let this thing slip through their fingers. The stakes are insane, and we’re all gonna be glued to our screens for the next one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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