(VIDEO) Rays Stun Brewers 4-3 on Ben Williamson Walk-Off in 12th Inning to Avoid World Series Sweep

Ben Williamson lined a pinch-hit single on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the 12th inning, and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday night, avoiding a World Series sweep.

Milwaukee still leads the series 3-1 and remains one win from the first championship in franchise history. But the Rays stayed alive in dramatic fashion at Tropicana Field, coming back after the Brewers had taken the lead in the top of the 12th.

"It just shows the resiliency of this group," Williamson said.

Pratt's homer puts Brewers on the brink

Milwaukee appeared poised to celebrate when rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt led off the 12th with a solo home run off Ian Seymour. He drove a 2-2 sweeper over the left-field fence for a 3-2 lead.

It was Pratt's first postseason home run. According to MLB research, it was the first extra-inning home run by a rookie in World Series history. Pratt finished 4 for 5 with two RBIs, the first rookie with four hits in a potential World Series clincher.

The rest of the Brewers' lineup struggled, going 4 for 38.

Rays rally in the 12th

Tampa Bay answered immediately. The Rays reached base five straight times to open the bottom of the inning, starting when Junior Caminero reached on a fielding error.

Jonny DeLuca tied the game 3-3 with an RBI single off Brewers reliever Shane Drohan. Williamson, who entered the night 1 for 15 in the postseason, then pinch-hit and singled on Drohan's first pitch, scoring pinch runner Nick Fortes with the winning run.

Drohan took the loss without retiring a batter, allowing four hits. Seymour earned the win despite giving up Pratt's homer.

Early back-and-forth

The game was tight from the start.

Chandler Simpson gave the Rays a 1-0 lead with an RBI double in the second inning. Pratt tied it with an RBI double in the fourth, and Tampa Bay went back ahead on a Brewers throwing error in the bottom half.

David Hamilton led off the fifth with a 391-foot solo homer to tie the game 2-2. Neither team scored again until the 12th.

Rays starter Griffin Jax allowed two runs on four hits over four innings. Brewers opener Dustin May gave up two runs on three hits in three innings.

Both bullpens dominated through the middle innings. Tampa Bay's relievers held Milwaukee to one run on four hits over the final eight innings, with Nick Martinez, Kevin Kelly, Tyler Wells and Bryan Baker combining for scoreless work.

Ashby sets record

Brewers left-hander Aaron Ashby extended his remarkable postseason with 2 1/3 hitless innings. That gave him 18 consecutive scoreless innings this October, the most by a reliever in a single postseason. He passed the 16 innings Andrew Miller threw in 2016.

Jackson Chourio went 2 for 6. The 22-year-old outfielder has 10 hits through four games, tying Babe Ruth's 1928 record for the most in the first four games of a World Series. He became just the second player in 40 years to record multiple hits in each of his team's first four World Series games.

History against the Rays

The Rays face long odds. They are the fifth team to force a Game 5 after falling behind 3-0 in the World Series, joining the 2024 New York Yankees, the 1970 Cincinnati Reds, the 1937 New York Giants and the 1910 Chicago Cubs. None of those four forced a Game 6.

Across all best-of-seven postseason series, only one team has come back from a 3-0 deficit: the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who did it against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

According to MLB research, Tuesday's win was the 17th walk-off victory by a team facing elimination in World Series history. It was the first since David Freese's famous Game 6 homer for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, also on Oct. 27.

The 1910 Cubs are the only other team to walk off while facing a World Series sweep.

A bounce-back night

The win was a sharp turnaround for Tampa Bay one night after Milwaukee routed the Rays 10-1 in Game 3, a loss that left the Brewers needing just one more win.

"We are going to keep fighting until the end," Simpson said.

The World Series has not ended in a sweep since the San Francisco Giants swept the Detroit Tigers in 2012. That stretch of 14 straight World Series without a sweep is the longest in history.

Up next

Game 5 is Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, starting at 8 p.m. EDT on Fox. A Milwaukee win would give the Brewers their first World Series title. If the Rays win, the series returns to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Friday and, if necessary, Game 7 on Saturday.

Milwaukee's lone previous World Series appearance came in 1982, when it lost to the Cardinals in seven games. Tampa Bay, which began play in 1998, is still seeking its first championship.