ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays understood the long odds against them when they arrived at Tropicana Field on Tuesday afternoon, well aware that no team has ever come back from the situation they currently face in the World Series.
But they also had no interest in rolling over and letting the Brewers celebrate.
With their season on the line, designated hitter Yandy Díaz spoke to the team’s mindset in the hours ahead of Griffin Jax's first pitch, remarking, “It’s going to be hard to come back from this, but it’s not impossible.”
Tampa Bay took that first step, surviving Cooper Pratt's 12th-inning home run to get off the mat and extend its season with a 4-3, 12-inning victory in Game 4.
Here are four takeaways from the Rays’ victory, their first in the Fall Classic since Game 4 of the 2020 World Series:
Put a cork in it
Tuesday was National American Beer Day, which seemed like a good omen for the visitors, especially considering their entire franchise identity hinges on the combination of barley, hops, yeast and water.
The Rays had other plans, denying Milwaukee’s celebration in dramatic fashion.
“I think it lets us show that we’re not out of any game,” said catcher Liam Hicks. “We can breathe a little bit after getting one win, but it’s going to take all of us to get this going and keep winning games.”
In that decisive 12th inning, Junior Caminero reached on a throwing error by third baseman Joey Ortiz and Hicks greeted rookie Shane Drohan with a hit to left field, advancing Caminero to third. Jonny DeLuca followed with a single to center field, scoring pinch-runner Cedric Mullins with the tying run.
Chandler Simpson followed with a single to center, loading the bases with none out. Ben Williamson, pinch-hitting for Victor Mesa Jr., walked it off, clipping the first pitch he saw from Drohan into right field.
“Our season was on the line. It could’ve possibly been the last game for everybody,” Simpson said. “So I’m glad [the fans] stuck with us.”
The history ahead still isn’t kind for the Rays. Of the 25 teams that have fallen behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven World Series, none have advanced to a Game 6, with only the 1910 Cubs, 1937 Giants, 1970 Reds and 2024 Yankees forcing it to Game 5.
But it’s a start.
Off and running
The Rays needed a momentum shift after finishing on the wrong end of a 10-1 drubbing in Monday’s Game 3. Simpson provided one.
Having been dropped to sixth in the order by manager Kevin Cash, Simpson ripped a second-inning double down the right-field line facing Dustin May, sending DeLuca home to score from first base.
It was Tampa Bay’s first lead since Game 2 at Milwaukee, coming in a building where the Rays have played well all season: Their 55-26 home record equaled Milwaukee for the Majors’ best. Teams to score first are 26-13 this postseason.
“We’re still facing elimination,” Simpson said. “We’re still down three [wins], so that’s what we know. I’m glad we got to be able to survive another day. Same mentality. Hopefully we can use some momentum in the next game.”
Jonny on the spot
Even before the 12th inning, DeLuca was all over the place in Game 4, including a terrific diving catch that robbed William Contreras of a fourth-inning hit. DeLuca charged in to snare a sinking liner just before it slapped the turf.
The Brewers broke through against Jax later in the inning, with Pratt stroking a two-out RBI double, so DeLuca’s effort to keep Contreras off the basepaths may have changed the game more than it initially seemed.
DeLuca was involved in another key moment during the home half of the fourth, chopping a grounder to third base. David Hamilton reached to try to tag Caminero, who raced to third base untouched and scored when Hamilton threw errantly to first base. Review confirmed Hamilton did not apply the tag.
“We were in it the whole way,” DeLuca said. “There's so much belief in this clubhouse. To be able to go in there and … be able to come back like that is obviously a special win and a pretty cool win.”
What a relief!
The bullpen has been the biggest mismatch of this World Series so far, but Tampa Bay’s relievers mostly got the job done late in Game 4, including the first Series appearance by closer Bryan Baker, who led the Majors with 41 regular-season saves.
“I'm super proud of these guys,” Baker said. “I know the warrior mentality we have, and everybody's going to be ready to go tomorrow as well. That's what you want to see.”
Pitching for the first time since the clinching Game 6 of the American League Championship Series vs. Cleveland on Oct. 19, Baker enjoyed a breezy eight-pitch eighth inning.
Then came the ninth: Garrett Mitchell lifted a deep fly to left with one out, with Simpson leaping to make a perfectly timed grab near the wall.
Pratt, who had singled in the previous at-bat, then attempted to steal second base and was initially ruled safe, but review showed Richie Palacios tagged Pratt’s left hand on the slide.
“We were a little sloppy those first three games in a lot of different ways, and we definitely cleaned that up a little bit tonight,” Baker said. “There's still some there, but we held it together close enough. We were able to claw back at the end and still pull out a win.”