Rays stay alive in World Series with a 4-3 walk-off win over Brewers in 12 innings

The Tampa Bay Rays performed some extra-inning magic to ensure they would not be swept out of the World Series.

Jonny DeLuca and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson singled home runs in a stunning 12th-inning rally, and the Rays staved off elimination with a 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

Game 5 will be back at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night, as Tampa Bay tries to become the first World Series team in a 3-0 hole to force a Game 6.

The opportunity - and the Rays' hopes - looked to out of reach after Cooper Pratt hit a tiebreaking home run off Ian Seymour in the top of the 12th. It was Pratt's fourth hit of the game.

But the Rays, also seeking their first championship, rallied in the bottom half after a throwing error by third baseman Joey Ortiz on Junior Caminero's leadoff grounder against reliever Antonio Senzatela.

Liam Hicks singled off Shane Drohan, who relieved in his first appearance since Oct. 15, and DeLuca's single to center drove in pinch-runner Cedric Mullins to tie the score at 3.

Chandler Simpson's single loaded the bases and Milwaukee employed a five-man infield with the infield in.

Williamson, who had been 1-for-15 in the postseason, hit a chopper over first baseman Jake Bauers and into right field to bring in Nick Fortes, who was pinch-running for Hicks.

Tampa Bay became just the fifth of 26 teams that fell behind 3-0 in the World Series to win Game 4. The previous four lost Game 5.

Of 43 teams to trail 3-0 in any best-of-seven postseason matchup, the only one that rebounded to win was the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees in the 2004 American League Championship Series.

Tampa Bay ended an eight-game winning streak by the Brewers, who were bidding to become only the second team to sweep a League Championship Series and the World Series.

Milwaukee advanced to the Series by eliminating back-to-back defending champion Los Angeles in four games.

David Hamilton also homered for the Brewers. Jackson Chourio had a single and double, improving to 10-for-20 in the Series.

Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie whose go-ahead hit sparked the Brewers to a 5-4 win in Game 2, drove a slider into the left-field seats against Seymour. Pratt had tied the score at 1 with an RBI double in the second.

Milwaukee players bounded out of the dugout to greet Pratt, who debuted in June and became the first rookie to hit an extra-inning homer in the World Series.

Seymour had allowed Frelick’s tying homer in Game 2.

Milwaukee fans in the crowd of 40,514, many waving yellow towels and some wearing cheeseheads, brought a Badger State feel to Tropicana Field.

Tampa Bay returned to its white home jerseys, a day after playing in Devil Rays throwbacks.

Simpson hit an RBI double off starter Dustin May in the second, but Milwaukee tied the score in the fourth against Griffin Jax when Frelick hit a two-out single and came around on Pratt's double.

Caminero singled leading off the bottom half to chase May and advanced on a groundout. DeLuca hit a hard grounder to Hamilton and Caminero twisted toward the grass to avoid the third baseman’s tag, then came home when Hamilton bounced his throw past Bauers for an error.

Hamilton, Milwaukee’s No. 9 hitter, drove an 0-2 fastball at the letters from Jax into the right-field seats for his second home run of the postseason — half his regular-season total and just his second since June 6.

Brewers left-hander Aaron Ashby broke Andrew Miller's record for scoreless innings by a reliever in one postseason with a 1-2-3 ninth. Ashby followed with a perfect 10th, retired the first batter in the bottom of the 11th and left the game not having allowed a run in 18 innings over nine postseason appearances.

Miller had the longest streak of consecutive scoreless relief innings within one postseason with 16 in 2016 for Cleveland.