Rays rally to beat Brewers in 2026 World Series Game 4, setting up a decisive Game 5

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Major League Baseball pointed to another chaotic ending from the sport’s biggest stage after the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the 2026 World Series, 4-3 in extra innings, preventing Milwaukee from closing the Fall Classic in four games. With the series outcome extended, the Rays preserved their season and turned the championship matchup into a Game 5 that would be needed to decide the title.

MLB’s account emphasized that the first nine innings of Game 4 were relatively contained before the game shifted in the middle innings. The Rays and Brewers combined for two runs each through the opening part of the game, then remained scoreless through the ninth to send play into extra innings, where zeros held steady in both the 10th and 11th.

In the 12th inning, the Brewers struck first. Major League Baseball’s recap described how 22-year-old Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt led off with a go-ahead home run, a moment the league tied to what could have been the series-ending play.

But Tampa Bay responded immediately. MLB reported that the Rays began their half of the 12th by getting Junior Caminero aboard on an error, moving him to third on a Liam Hicks single, and then scoring the tying run on an RBI single by Jonny DeLuca. With bases loaded after an additional single by Chandler Simpson, MLB said Ben Williamson delivered the walk-off RBI single to give the Rays the 4-3 victory.

The Rays’ extra-innings finish was the centerpiece of MLB’s larger discussion of high-drama World Series conclusions. In the same feature, Major League Baseball introduced a look at “27” of what it characterized as the most unlikely finishes in World Series history, positioning Game 4 as the latest chapter in that sequence.

Among the other games included in MLB’s roundup was Game 6 of the 2025 World Series, which the league described as a tense late attempt by the Toronto Blue Jays to clinch their first championship since 1993. MLB’s recap noted that Toronto faced a critical situation in the bottom of the ninth, tying the moment to the idea of history repeating itself, before outlining how the Dodgers recorded the outs needed to close the game, including an inning-ending play involving second base after a caught line drive.

MLB’s feature also referenced Game 3 of the 2025 World Series, which it said reached 18 innings and included multiple near-misses before a late, decisive swing. According to the league, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman hit a walk-off home run off Toronto’s Brendon Little to end the game, and MLB credited that moment as a first in World Series history for Freeman having multiple walk-off homers.

The roundup further highlighted Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, describing how the Dodgers overcame a tied game to win 6-3 in 10 innings against the New York Yankees. Major League Baseball’s narrative credited Freddie Freeman with a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 10th, after he returned from an October ankle issue and delivered a ball that the league described as going immediately out for the game’s decisive blow.

Major League Baseball also cited a walk-off from the 2023 World Series that it said was delivered by the Texas Rangers in extra innings. In that Game 1, MLB described Corey Seager’s ninth-inning two-run homer to tie the game, then credited Adolis García with a walk-off homer in the 11th to steal the win, framing it as another example of how World Series games can swing from the brink of defeat.

The league’s list included several other extra-innings and bottom-of-the-ninth moments across earlier eras, including a 2020 Game 4 in which the Tampa Bay Rays won 8-7 against the Los Angeles Dodgers after a sequence that MLB described as a walk-off involving defensive miscues. MLB also pointed to the 2017 World Series in describing an Astros win in Game 5, as well as the 2016 and 2014 World Series games where late rallies and bullpen performances extended clinch scenarios.

While Major League Baseball’s feature spans multiple seasons, the practical impact of its coverage in the present instance is tied to the 2026 championship series itself. By documenting how Tampa Bay overcame Milwaukee’s lead in the 12th and walked off with a 4-3 win, MLB identified Game 4 as the turning point that stopped a sweep and ensured the 2026 World Series would continue beyond Game 4.

As MLB’s recap made clear, the Rays’ win was not only a single-game finish but also a strategic reprieve in the series. With the championship tied to Game 5 after Tampa Bay’s extra-innings walk-off, the league’s account underscored how quickly a World Series can shift from near-certain closeout to a renewed, decisive final game.