The Tampa Bay Rays refused to let the 2026 World Series end quietly. Trailing in the 12th inning at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night, Tampa Bay rallied for two runs to beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 and keep its season alive, according to reports from NBC Sports and the Milwaukee Courier.
The Rays still trail the series 3-1, but they avoided a sweep in the most dramatic way possible, and they did it in front of 40,514 fans in St. Petersburg, many of them Milwaukee supporters waving yellow towels and wearing cheeseheads.
Pratt’s heroics — briefly
Milwaukee rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt looked like the hero of the night. He finished with four hits, and his solo home run in the top of the 12th inning put the Brewers ahead 3-2. Reports described it as one of the great rookie performances in World Series history.
The lead lasted only minutes. Jonny DeLuca tied the game with an RBI single in the bottom of the 12th, and Ben Williamson followed with a walk-off single to right field to win it for Tampa Bay. Nick Fortes scored the winning run.
A game of missed chances
The game had been tight all night. Chandler Simpson’s RBI double gave Tampa Bay the lead in the second inning, before Milwaukee tied it in the fourth when Sal Frelick singled and scored on Pratt’s double. Junior Caminero then scored on an error to restore Tampa Bay’s lead, and Milwaukee’s Hamilton tied it again with a home run.
Milwaukee’s frustration was clear in the numbers: the Brewers hit the ball hard all night, with reports noting 12 balls hit at more than 102 mph, yet nine of those outs found gloves. The Brewers led 3-2 going into the bottom of the 12th but could not close it out, as Shane Drohan failed to record an out in the decisive inning.
What comes next
The series now returns to Tropicana Field for Game 5 on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. Milwaukee needs one win for its first World Series title since 1982, while Tampa Bay needs three more victories — starting tonight — to complete a comeback from 3-1 down.
