Dustin May Starts Game 4 as Rays Rally to Stave Off World Series Elimination

The Tampa Bay Rays mounted an improbable 12th-inning rally on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field, scoring twice to claim a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the World Series. The dramatic walk-off win prevented a sweep by Milwaukee and extended the Fall Classic to a fifth game, after the Brewers had trusted right-handed pitcher Dustin May to take the mound with a championship within reach.

May, who entered the contest tasked with anchoring Milwaukee's bid for its first World Series title in franchise history, lasted three-plus innings before being pulled. The right-hander filled the strike zone efficiently, landing 30 of his 39 pitches for strikes without yielding a walk. However, he surrendered two runs on the evening, giving up an RBI double to Tampa Bay's Chandler Simpson in the second inning before exiting with no outs in the fourth following a leadoff single by Junior Caminero. Caminero later came around to score on an infield throwing error, saddling May with two runs as he departed without factoring into the final decision.

The Brewers had moved one victory away from the crown following a 10-1 rout in Game 3 that featured an eight-run rally spearheaded by Jackson Chourio. Facing elimination, Tampa Bay managed to stay competitive by striking back early against May and leaning on their pitching staff to keep the game deadlocked. Offensively for Milwaukee, rookie Cooper Pratt hit an RBI double in the fourth to score Sal Frelick, and David Hamilton delivered a solo home run to briefly give Milwaukee momentum.

The pitching duel eventually stretched deep into extra innings, where Milwaukee appeared poised to claim the commissioner's trophy. In the top of the 12th inning, Pratt launched a go-ahead solo home run into the left-field seats off Rays reliever Ian Seymour. Pratt, a 22-year-old rookie who made his major league debut in June, became the first rookie in major league history to hit an extra-inning home run in the World Series, giving the Brewers a 3-2 edge and sparking raucous celebrations in the visiting dugout.

Milwaukee's lead vanished rapidly in the bottom of the 12th. Caminero opened the half-inning with a grounder to third, reaching base when Joey Ortiz's errant throw eluded first baseman Jake Bauers. Brewers manager Pat Murphy summoned rookie left-hander Shane Drohan from the bullpen to protect the one-run lead. The Rays answered immediately, as Liam Hicks and Jonny DeLuca hit back-to-back singles, with DeLuca's ground ball driving home pinch-runner Cedric Mullins to tie the score at 3-3.

Following a single by Simpson that loaded the bases, Rays manager Kevin Cash called on pinch-hitter Ben Williamson to face Drohan with the infield drawn in. Williamson, who had gone just 1-for-15 during the postseason, chopped a high bouncer along the first-base line. The ball bounded over Bauers into shallow right field, allowing pinch-runner Nick Fortes to cross home plate and secure the 4-3 triumph for Tampa Bay before a crowd of 40,514 fans.

"Sometimes the game tests you. Sometimes the game makes you want to dig deep," Brewers captain Christian Yelich reflected afterward. "It's all part of the journey, all part of the experience, and that's part of our story." On the Tampa Bay side, Williamson relished the breakthrough moment: "It's what you dream of as a player to be in that spot."

The Rays became just the fourth team in World Series history to avoid elimination with an extra-inning comeback, snapping Milwaukee's eight-game postseason winning streak. For May, the outing wrapped up what could be one of his final starts for the club, as his contract includes a $20 million option that is expected to be declined ahead of free agency. The series resumes Wednesday night for Game 5 at Tropicana Field, where the Brewers will hand the ball to National League Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski.