Rays force World Series Game 5 with 4-3 win over Brewers

Tampa Bay beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in 12 innings on Tuesday, October 27, at Tropicana Field, and the win kept the Rays' World Series alive [1] [2]. The game lasted four hours and 20 minutes [1]. Milwaukee had led the series 3-0 going into it, so a loss would have been a sweep [1]. Tampa Bay now trails 3-1 [1].

How the 12th inning decided it

Milwaukee went ahead in the top of the 12th. Cooper Pratt hit a solo home run off Rays reliever Ian Seymour, who had replaced Cam Booser, and that was the go-ahead run [1]. Seymour then got Jake Bauers to pop out to end the inning [1]. Nick Martinez had already pitched in relief earlier in the game [1].

Tampa Bay came back in the bottom half against Brewers reliever Shane Drohan, who had replaced Antonio Senzatela [1]. Liam Hicks and Jonny DeLuca drove in runs against Drohan, and pinch-runner Cedric Mullins scored the tying run [1]. Ben Williamson then hit a bouncing ball into right field that scored pinch-runner Nick Fortes with the winning run [1]. Tampa Bay had been behind 3-2 before the bottom half began [1].

Game 5 and the rest of the schedule

Game 5 is on Wednesday, October 28, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET on FOX [1] [2]. The schedule lists it as a game that is needed only if the series is still going [2]. If Tampa Bay wins it, the series returns to Milwaukee for Game 6 on Friday, October 30, and Game 7 on Saturday, October 31, if needed [2].

Milwaukee needs one more win to take the title. Tampa Bay needs three in a row, which means winning Games 5, 6 and 7, to win the series [1] [2]. The next result matters more than the 12th-inning finish, because one loss on Wednesday ends the Rays' run [2].

How the series reached this point

The Rays reached the World Series by beating the Cleveland Guardians 4-2 in the American League Championship Series, clinching with a 7-3 win in Game 6 [3]. It is the Rays' third trip to the Fall Classic, after losses in 2008 and 2020 [3].

Milwaukee is in its first World Series since 1982 [3]. Neither franchise has won a World Series, so the 2026 final will crown a first-time champion [3]. The series opened on Friday, October 23, in Milwaukee [2].

What to watch next

Game 5 at Tropicana Field is the next test. Milwaukee needs one more win to clinch, and Tampa Bay needs a win on Wednesday to keep the series going [1] [2]. The first pitch at 8 p.m. ET on FOX is the moment to watch, and the bullpens are the detail to track, since the 12th inning turned on a homer from a reliever and a walk-off hit against another [1] [2].