The Rays Are Alive, Now Game 5: Takeaways From A Game 4 Thriller In Tampa Bay

This article was written by Jason Foster and published on Sport & State, a new media company founded by Clay Travis that is built around sports, culture, original voices, and live conversation.

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If they can make the rest of the World Series out of Game 4, we could be in for a great finish.

The Rays pulled out a dramatic 4-3 walk-off win in the 12th inning on Tuesday (early Wednesday, actually) to beat the Brewers and keep their season alive for at least one more day.

Here are some takeaways from the best game of the series go far.

The Brewers are, in fact, beatable

It didn’t seem right for this World Series to end in a sweep. The Rays and Brewers are too evenly matched, too much like mirror images for one of them to reel off four straight wins. But through the first three games, and for a bit in Game 4, it seemed inevitable as the Brewers looked to be in complete control.

But then, everything that had gone right for the Brewers reversed in the Rays’ favor.

Seven Tampa Bay pitchers kept Milwaukee’s bats at bay for most of the night, allowing just two runs through 11 innings before Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt popped a go-ahead solo homer in the 12th that looked like it might give Milwaukee its first World Series title. The Rays weren’t done, however.

After taking advantage of a throwing error from Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz to lead off the bottom of the 12th, the Rays kept the line moving and tied the game on Jonny DeLuca‘s RBI single. After a Chandler Simpson single, Ben Williamson hit a chopper to first base that hopped over a drawn-in infield for the walk-off winner. It was the Brewers’ first loss in three weeks.

WILLIAMSON WALKS IT OFF

#ForTampaBay | #WorldSeries https://t.co/jVKo4OUoNh

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 28, 2026

The Rays may have found their mojo

The Rays hadn’t played very Rays-like through the first three games, but don’t underestimate what the Game 4 comeback could do for them. They won an AL-best 98 games during the regular season for a reason.

Tampa Bay plays a style of ball that’s very similar to Milwaukee’s, and it can be just as effective with its small-ball antics, but until Game 4 the Rays hadn’t done it nearly as well as the Brewers.

If the 12th-inning comeback becomes a spark that re-ignites the classic Rays mojo, don’t be surprised if they come out with new energy in Game 5.

Self-inflicted wounds are a killer

Giving extra outs in the postseason is always playing with fire. The Brewers now have two painful reminders that played a direct role in the outcome. And both happened at third base.

The first came in the fourth inning, when David Hamilton tried to tag the Rays’ Junior Caminero on a grounder from DeLuca, then made a bad throw to first that allowed Caminero to score.

Organized chaos

#ForTampaBay | #WorldSeries https://t.co/BOWjKYMHyh

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 28, 2026

But the real killer came to lead off the bottom of the 12th with the Brewers three outs from a championship. Ortiz, now manning the hot corner, fielded a grounder from Caminero and then bounced the throw to first, with Milwaukee first baseman Jake Bauers unable to corral it.

Brewers fan hope this doesn’t come to be known as the play.

Joey Ortiz bounces a throw that Jake Bauers couldn’t scoop to begin the bottom of the 12th inning https://t.co/jwjqSaBMw9

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 28, 2026

There should’ve been one out and nobody on base. Instead, the Brewers never recorded an out in the inning as the Rays put together four straight hits to tie the game and then walk it off.

We may have a series after all

Game 4 was fantastic, showing exactly how well these teams match up. But don’t misunderstand: The Brewers, now up 3-1 in the series, are still the heavy favorites. Again, no team has ever overcome an 0-3 deficit to win a World Series. Only a few have forced a Game 5, but none of them made it to Game 6.

The Rays have a long way to go to pull off a historic Fall Classic miracle. But as the cliche indicates, they just have to take it one game at a time.

If Tampa Bay can get likely Game 5 starter Jacob Misiorowski out of the game early, it would force Milwaukee’s already-taxed bullpen to carry a substantial load yet again (shoutout to lefty Aaron Ashby and his MLB postseason-record 18 straight scoreless innings). Not even an elite bullpen like Milwaukee’s is immune to the effects of overuse.

If the Rays can chase The Miz and pull out Game 5, things could get really interesting as the series heads back to Milwaukee for Game 6.

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