Pratt's 12th-inning homer puts Brewers one out away from first title

Cooper Pratt sent a home run into left-center field in the 12th inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 3-2 lead. The homer was Pratt's fourth hit of the game and his biggest of the career. It came off Rays pitcher Ian Seymour. The Brewers are now three outs from winning their first World Series title.

The score was tied 2-2 when the 12th inning began. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash sent pinch runner Jorge Mateo to the plate to replace Yandy Díaz. Mateo stole second base to put a potential winning run in scoring position. The move failed to end the game as Jonathan Aranda flew out to keep the contest alive.

The series has been defined by tight scoring. The Brewers took the first three games to lead the series 3-0. Only 21 of the 25 previous teams in baseball history that held a 3-0 lead went on to sweep the World Series. Milwaukee seeks to become the 22nd team to finish the job in four games. The Rays are the first team in 25 attempts to hold hope after dropping the first three contests.

Bullpen work defined the middle innings. Aaron Ashby tied Andrew Miller's record of 16 consecutive scoreless postseason innings in the ninth. He then struck out Jonathan Aranda to set a new mark. Closer Trevor Megill entered the game and recorded the final out of the ninth. Bryan Baker pitched the eighth inning after a brief rest, having been used in the ninth previously.

Defensive plays stalled Tampa Bay rallies. In the sixth, Brice Turang caught a 108.1 mph line drive from Jonathan Aranda and threw out Yandy Díaz. In the seventh, Nick Martinez retired the Brewers in order. The scheduled starting pitcher for Game 5, Martinez, came on in relief to protect his spot in the rotation. The game continued into extra innings after a lengthy replay review overturned a safe call on Cooper Pratt at second base.

The Brewers' relief corps has a 1.34 earned run average this postseason. Griffin Jax started for Tampa Bay but was pulled after the fifth inning when David Hamilton homered to tie the game. The Rays have lost 0-3 in the series and face a steep historical hurdle to win the championship.