By RONALD BLUM AP Baseball Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Milwaukee was three outs from its first World Series title when Junior Camerino started the bottom of the 12th inning with a grounder to third. Thousands of Brewers fans who trekked to Tropicana Field to witness the long-awaited moment started to cheer.
Not so fast.
Third baseman Joey Ortiz bounced the throw, and the ball glanced off first baseman Jake Bauers’ mitt for an error.
One of the most stunning rallies in World Series history started to unfold.
Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, Chandler Simpson and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson followed with consecutive singles in a 15-pitch span against rookie Shane Drohan, and the Tampa Bay Rays staved off elimination Tuesday night with a 4-3 win that forced Game 5.
“Sometimes the game tests you. Sometimes the game makes you want to dig deep,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “It’s all part of the journey, all part of the experience, and that’s part of our story.”
Milwaukee rookie Cooper Pratt hit a tiebreaking home run off Ian Seymour in the top of the 12th for a 3-2 lead, sending the Brewers sprinting out of the dugout in excitement as they sensed completing the first Series sweep since 2012.
Milwaukee’s bullpen, led by seven outs from Aaron Ashby, had combined for seven straight scoreless innings, before Caminero reached against Antonio Senzatela.
Ortiz grimaced.
“I’ve got to make that play,” he said. “Just no excuse about it.”
Caminero appeared to hurt his left foot but stayed in the game. Brewers manager Pat Murphy brought in Drohan, a 27-year-old left-hander who had not pitched since a one-inning start in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series on Oct. 15.
With Pratt shifted toward second for the left-handed batter, Hicks hit an opposite-field grounder through the vacated shortstop hole and into left field as Caminero slid headfirst into third.
“For just regular D, that’s right at Coop,” Drohan said of the defensive alignment.
Pinch-runner Cedric Mullins replaced Caminero before DeLuca, who had made sparkling catches to deny Yelich in the third and William Contreras in the fourth, hit a grounder past the mound as Drohan tried in vain to make a behind-the-back snag. The ball bounced into center as Mullins tied the score at 3.
Nick Fortes ran at second for the slower Hicks. After missing a bunt attempt and pulling back another while taking a called strike, Simpson lined a single into center, loading the bases.
Sal Frelick moved in from left to form a five-man infield, with three defenders on the left side and everyone playing in.
Williamson, who had been 1 for 15 in the postseason, batted for Victor Mesa Jr.
“It’s what you dream of as a player to be in that spot,” Williamson said.
On the game’s 367th pitch, he hit a chopper that kicked up chalk from the foul line 7 feet from home plate. The ball bounded high over Bauers and onto the grass in short right field. Fortes sprinted across the plate with the winning run, then headed toward first to join his jumping teammates in foul territory.
“That was totally what I told him to do,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said, drawing laughs.
Drohan walked off, his head bowed.
“Definitely hard. I’m human,” he said softly. “I knew what I was walking into. I just didn’t do the job there.”
Tampa Bay became the fourth team in World Series history to avoid elimination with an extra-inning comeback, according to OptaSTATS, joining the 1912 Boston Red Sox, 1986 New York Mets and 2011 St. Louis Cardinals — who all went on to win titles.
“We’ve got a lot of fight in us. We’re never going to shy away,” Simpson said. “We were going to keep fighting until the end — the last inning, the last out, the last play, the last pitch.”
Game 5 in the best-of-seven matchup is Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, with NL Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski scheduled to start for the Brewers. Cash said he hadn’t decided on a starter yet.
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 AL Championship Series.
“It just shows the resiliency of this group,” Williamson said. “We continue to fight, and that’s been the motto this series and this full season, is just fight.”
Caminero was replaced by Mullins at third base and hobbled off the field with an ailing left foot. But the All-Star slugger said he’ll definitely play Wednesday night.
“He’ll play tomorrow on one leg. I’ll make sure of it,” Cash said.
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.
“I feel like today we’ve just been playing so free,” DeLuca said. “It’s a pretty cool position we’re in and it’s a special opportunity that we have.”
David Hamilton also homered for the Brewers. Jackson Chourio had a single and double, improving to 10 for 20 in the Series.
“When you’re achieving something like this, it’s going to have its adversity,” Murphy said. “We had some things go our way yesterday. They had some things go their way today. That’s the way it is.”
Pratt, a 22-year-old who debuted in June, drove a slider into the left-field seats against Seymour to become the first rookie to hit a World Series extra-inning homer. His go-ahead hit sparked the Brewers to a 5-4 win in Game 2 after Seymour allowed Frelick’s tying home run.
“Nobody said this was going to be easy,” Pratt said.
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.
Six scoreless innings followed before the late drama in a 4-hour, 20-minute game that ended at 12:28 a.m. with the first Series walk-off pinch hit in extra innings since Gene Larkin’s single won Game 7 for Minnesota in 1991.
“You play Wiffle ball in the backyard with your friends and you’re dreaming of hitting a walk-off ball in the World Series,” Williamson said.
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