ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Milwaukee was only three outs away from claiming its first World Series championship. When Junior Camerino opened the bottom of the 12th with a routine grounder to third, thousands of Brewers supporters at Tropicana Field began celebrating what they thought would be a historic finish.
But the celebration was premature.
Joey Ortiz’s throw bounced toward first, skimming off Jake Bauers’ glove and allowing Camerino to reach on an error.
In an instant, one of the wildest late-game comebacks in World Series history began taking shape.
Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, Chandler Simpson and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson then delivered four consecutive singles during a 15-pitch battle against rookie Shane Drohan. The surge lifted the Tampa Bay Rays to a 4-3 victory Tuesday night, kept them alive in the World Series and forced a decisive Game 5.
“The game tests you sometimes. It asks you to dig deeper,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “That’s part of the journey, part of the experience and part of our story.”
Milwaukee had taken the lead in the top of the 12th when rookie Cooper Pratt launched a tiebreaking home run off Ian Seymour. The 3-2 advantage sent the Brewers spilling from their dugout, believing they were on the verge of completing the first World Series sweep since 2012.
The Milwaukee bullpen, anchored by Aaron Ashby’s seven outs, had kept Tampa Bay scoreless for seven consecutive innings before Camerino reached against Antonio Senzatela.
Ortiz could only grimace after the miscue.
“I have to make that play,” Ortiz said. “There’s no excuse.”
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Camerino appeared to injure his left foot but remained in the game. Brewers manager Pat Murphy turned to Drohan, a 27-year-old left-hander who had not pitched since throwing one inning in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 15.
With Pratt positioned near second against the left-handed Hicks, Hicks sent a ground ball through the open shortstop hole and into left field. Camerino raced to third and slid headfirst.
“With a normal defensive alignment, that ball is probably right at Coop,” Drohan said.
Cedric Mullins entered as a pinch-runner for Camerino. DeLuca, who had earlier made spectacular catches to rob Yelich in the third inning and William Contreras in the fourth, followed with a grounder that slipped past the mound. Drohan tried to catch it behind his back but came up empty, and the ball rolled into center field as Mullins scored the tying run.
Sal Frelick moved in from left field, creating a five-man infield with three defenders stationed on the left side and every player drawn toward the plate.
Williamson, who entered the night just 1-for-15 in the postseason, came to the plate for Victor Mesa Jr.
“As a player, that’s the moment you dream about,” Williamson said.
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