Rays Force World Series Decider After 12th-Inning Walk-Off

Ben Williamson hit a single in the 12th inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4. The hit prevented Milwaukee from winning their first World Series championship and kept Tampa Bay in the contest.

The Brewers maintain a 3-1 series lead. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay must win to force a Game 6 in Milwaukee. If they lose, the series ends.

Game 4 lasted four hours and 20 minutes. Fifteen pitchers threw 367 pitches over 23 innings. The teams faced 90 batters. Manager Pat Murphy said the game drained both pitching staffs. He noted that playing a tight ballgame requires such effort.

Jacob Misiorowski will start Game 5 on four days of rest. The right-hander is the presumptive National League Cy Young Award winner. He started Game 1 on Oct. 23 and allowed one run over five innings. Murphy expects to rely on the bullpen again. Trevor Megill threw five pitches in Game 4. Aaron Abner Uribe retired six batters in two innings without using a pitcher from the Game 3 roster.

The Rays face a harder scheduling choice. Manager Kevin Cash had not selected a starter. Drew Rasmussen threw 89 pitches in Game 2 and could start on short rest. Nick Martinez threw 33 pitches out of the bullpen in Game 4. A bullpen game with Rasmussen in a bulk role is likely.

Milwaukee infielders committed eight errors in the postseason. Two of those errors occurred in Game 4. Errant throws from third base led to runs. Milwaukee hitters produced 12 of the 13 hardest-hit balls in the game. They recorded few hits from those efforts.

Tampa Bay must limit Misiorowski to erase the pitching advantage. Lineups for both teams had not been announced before the game.