Rays Avoid World Series Sweep With 12th-Inning Rally

Tampa Bay beat Milwaukee 4-3 in 12 innings in Game 4 of the World Series, with Ben Williamson’s walk-off hit cutting the Brewers’ lead to 3-1 and forcing Game 5.

The Morning Brief Desk · Wednesday, October 28, 2026 · How the Brief is made

Sources: ESPN, USA Today, CBS Sports

The Tampa Bay Rays avoided a World Series sweep Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, beating the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings to force a Game 5. Ben Williamson delivered the walk-off hit in the bottom of the 12th after Milwaukee had taken the lead in the top of the inning. The Brewers, who entered the night one win from the first championship in franchise history, had been three outs from closing out the title before the Rays rallied.

The comeback leaned heavily on Tampa Bay’s bullpen, which worked eight of the 12 innings and allowed one run on four hits, according to CBS Sports. Nick Martinez, who had been lined up to start Game 5, was instead pressed into relief.

Milwaukee’s series lead now stands at 3-1, and no team in World Series history has come back from a 3-0 deficit.

The context

Tampa Bay’s bullpen entered Game 4 under scrutiny. CBS Sports noted the group had blown Game 1 of the ALCS, struggled in Game 6 of that series, blown Game 2 of the World Series and been roughed up in Game 3, when Milwaukee moved to the brink of the title. Manager Kevin Cash responded by using everything available Tuesday, including Martinez, the All-Star who started Game 1 and threw 73 pitches over five innings in that outing. Martinez has split his career between roles, with 160 regular-season starts and 151 relief appearances, plus four seasons pitching in Japan, which made him the most natural candidate to bridge innings in an elimination game. The decision kept the Brewers’ offense in check but left the Rays without their scheduled Game 5 starter.

Why it matters

Milwaukee remains one win from its first championship, while Tampa Bay is attempting something no team has done: erase a 3-0 World Series deficit. The Rays bought themselves another game, but at the cost of their rotation plan, since Martinez is no longer available to start Game 5 as scheduled. How Cash pieces together pitching from a bullpen that just absorbed eight innings will shape whether the series extends further. For the Brewers, the margin for error has narrowed from three games to two.

What’s next

Game 5 is set for tonight. Tampa Bay has not announced who will start in place of Martinez, and the workload absorbed by its relievers Tuesday leaves the pitching plan unsettled. Junior Caminero said he is “100%” ready to play despite an injury, per ESPN. A Milwaukee win ends the series with the franchise’s first title; a Rays win forces a Game 6 and keeps the unprecedented comeback attempt alive.

Sources

ESPN
Williamson keeps Rays alive in WS; Caminero ‘100%’ set for Game 5 despite injury
The Rays avoided a sweep with a stunning 12th-inning rally to take Game 4 of the World Series against Milwaukee.
USA Today
Rays survive in World Series with wild walk-off comeback vs Brewers
Tampa Bay rallied in the 12th inning to avoid a World Series sweep; no team has ever come back from 3-0 in the Series.
CBS Sports
Nick Martinez, bullpen save the Rays from World Series elimination
Tampa Bay burned its Game 5 starter in relief to survive, setting up a dramatic Game 5 with Milwaukee still one win from its first championship.

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