Rays Survive Late Rally to Force Deciding Game Against Brewers

The Tampa Bay Rays forced a decisive Game 5 by beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings on Tuesday night.

Milwaukee took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th inning when Cooper Pratt homered off Ian Seymour. Pratt hit a changeup into the left field seats for his fourth hit of the game. The Brewers celebrated briefly before Tampa Bay answered in the bottom half of the frame.

Junior Caminero grounded a ball that third baseman Joey Ortiz threw away. Liam Hicks followed with a single to left field. Jonny DeLuca then hit a single that tied the score. Ben Williamson pinch hit for Victor Mesa Jr. with the bases loaded and no outs. He swung at the first pitch from Shane Drohan, a 96 mph sinker on the outside corner. The ball bounced in front of the plate, kicked up chalk, and dropped into shallow right field. Nick Fortes scored from third base to give the Rays a 4-3 lead.

Williamson had sat on the bench for hours before manager Kevin Cash sent him up shortly after midnight. He had one postseason hit prior to the at-bat. "Jokingly, in my head I was thinking, 'Yeah, I've been ready to hit since the fourth or fifth inning,'" Williamson said.

Cash used 21 players in the game, including seven pitchers. Griffin Jax started for Tampa Bay against a Milwaukee bullpen effort. Nick Martinez, who started Game 1, entered in the sixth inning and threw two scoreless frames. Closer Bryan Baker pitched two innings for the first time in 2026. Martinez said the team will not dwell on the result. "You don't come down from this high," he said. "You keep going."

Caminero aggravated a left foot injury while running out the ground ball that started the 12th-inning rally. He stayed in the game long enough to sprint from first to third on Hicks' single. Cedric Mullins then pinch ran for him. Caminero said he is 100% going to play in Game 5. Speaking in Spanish, he noted the foot has bothered him for about three months. "If my foot is broken, I'll play tomorrow," he said. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday night. Drew Rasmussen, the Game 2 starter, said he expects to be available to pitch.

The win marks the Rays' first World Series victory at Tropicana Field since 2008. The game followed a 10-1 Brewers blowout in Game 3. Bryan Baker credited the roster for the effort. "There's 26 guys that at some point or another throughout the year have come through in a big spot and helped us win a game," Baker said.