What we're watching
- Game 4 is beyond tense: The Milwaukee Brewers are one win away from the franchise’s first World Series title. But the Tampa Bay Rays are hanging with them, trying to delay their championship celebration.
- In extra innings: It’s going to take more than nine innings to settle this one. The Rays and Brewers traded runs in the first half of the game and it remains 2-2. The game is in the 10th inning.
- Tampa Bay faces long odds: Twenty-five previous teams have gone down 0-3 in a World Series. None of them have come back to win. That’s the task that the Rays face tonight.
- History predicts a sweep: Of the 25 previous teams to take a 3-0 World Series lead, 21 of them have won Game 4 to sweep the series. The Brewers hope to make it 22 tonight.
Updates
(33)Rays escape the 10th with no damage done
With the exception of the Game 3 blowout, every game in this series has been a nail-biter, and tonight is no exception.
With zero margin for error, the Rays turn to reliever Tyler Wells in the 10th inning.
After a lazy flyout from Joey Ortiz, Jackson Chourio stepped to the plate with visions of a World Series MVP award dancing in his head. Chourio squared one up, but it was a line drive straight at center fielder Jonny DeLuca, who barely had to move to make the catch.
A swinging strikeout of Jake Bauers sends Game 4 to the bottom of the 10th.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
Aaron Ashby sets scoreless streak record and game goes to extras
Aaron Ashby, who entered the ninth inning working on a historic scoreless streak this postseason, quickly ties Andrew Miller’s record of 16 innings without surrendering a run in October with a strikeout of Jonathan Aranda.
He gets Junior Caminero to ground out – with a help in the at bat from William Contreras’ impeccable pitch challenging – to set a new record. One more ground out by Liam Hicks and we are headed to extras!
Either the Rays’ season will end in heartbreakingly close fashion or they’ll stay alive in a walk-off.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
The Rays' defense turns up huge to stymie the Brewers
Rays closer Bryan Baker was back on the bump for the ninth inning.
After quickly retiring Sal Frelick, Cooper Pratt collected his third hit of the game with a seeing-eye grounder into left field.
Garrett Mitchell gave the Rays’ faithful a scare with a fly ball to deep left, but Chandler Simpson was there to make a leaping catch at the wall.
On a pivotal play, Pratt tried to swipe second base and put himself in scoring position. Pratt was initially called safe, but the play was challenged by the Rays, and after a lengthy replay review, the call was overturned thanks to a great throw from catcher Liam Hicks and an even better tag from second baseman Richie Palacios.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
A successful Rays challenge still leads to no offense and we head to the 9th
Taylor Walls tapped his head!
For just the second time this October, a Rays batter challenged a called strike and it worked! He won! It flipped the count from 2-2 to a hitter favorable 3-1…
And then two pitches later he lined out.
The Brewers call on closer Trevor MeGill to get the final out of the frame and he does. Successful challenge aside, the Rays go down in order and we’re headed to the ninth tied.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
Exit Martinez, enter Baker as the Rays are pulling out all the stops
With Game 4 (and the Rays’ season) hanging in the balance, Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash made the call to the bullpen for his star closer Bryan Baker in the eighth inning.
Baker doesn’t usually pitch for more than a single inning, but after a breezy eight-pitch inning, the big right-hander will likely be back out again in the ninth inning.
The tension is rising as Tampa heads to the plate with another chance to save its season.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
Rays get a baserunner, but fail to score
Chandler Simpson’s speed keeps the Rays from going down quietly in the bottom of the seventh.
D.L. Hall comes in to pitch for Milwaukee and gets two quick outs. But then Simpson singles on a ground ball that shortstop Cooper Pratt holds on to rather than risk sowing more chaos by trying to beat Simpson with a throw.
The American League stolen base leader draws a pair of pickoff attempts – which should have given him the chance to run freely as the next one would be a balk – but before gets the chance, Victor Mesa, Jr. grounds out to end the inning.
We’re headed to the eighth in a tied game with a championship on the line.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
We're all tied up heading to the seventh inning stretch
Nick Martinez was back on the mound for the Rays in the seventh inning, with Fox Sports’ commentators speculating that manager Kevin Cash probably hopes to go with the Game 1 starter the rest of the way tonight.
Martinez appears up to the task with a 1-2-3 inning to send Game 4 to the seventh inning stretch.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
Brice Turang flashes award-winning defense to turn two
Both these teams are good. One is probably better. But also, sometimes, the ball bounces your way and sometimes, well, you get doubled off when you desperately need a rally.
Yandy Díaz slaps a soft single to lead off the inning. And then Jonathan Aranda smacks a ball 108.1 mph off the bat. It had an expected batting average of .890.In other words, nearly nine out of ten times a ball hit just like that ball was hit would have cruised into the outfield and the Rays would have two on with no outs.
Not tonight, not against the Brewers.
Instead, Brice Turang, a Gold and Platinum Glove award winner, swiped the ball out of the air and doubled Díaz off at first. Bases empty, two outs. Next batter, Junior Caminero, grounds out to Turang for good measure and to end the inning.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
Rays turn to Game 1 starter Nick Martinez in relief
Desperate times call for desperate measures. Enter Nick Martinez – the Rays’ scheduled Game 5 starting pitcher.
After a strong outing as the starter in Game 1, Martinez looked up to the pressure of the moment in his first inning of relief, retiring the Brewers in a scoreless sixth inning marred only by a bloop single from Cooper Pratt.
As for tomorrow? The Rays will cross that bridge when (if?) they come to it.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
MLB's Stand Up To Cancer moment pulls at the heartstrings
It’s an annual tradition that means a lot to many – the Game 4 moment in which players and fans of both teams unite, along with nearly everyone else in the stadium, to remember those lost to cancer.
The pause in the game is powerful and provides a soft moment to remember all those affected by such a terrible disease.
Watch the moment below:
Brewers bringing in the big guns: Their unbeatable bullpen
Pat Murphy, confident in his team’s ability to make a comeback, is going to his high-leverage arms already.
Abner Uribe comes out of the ‘pen and gets a pair of strikeouts and a soft ground out to sit down the bottom of the order in, well, order.
The game is still tied but that frame made it feel like Milwaukee is in control. Their bullpen – this month especially – is a force to behold.
If the Rays are going to live to play another day, they’ll have to get something going against a relief corps with a 1.34 ERA this postseason.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 2
We're halfway home and Game 4 is tied 2-2
After a gutsy performance from starting pitcher Griffin Jax, Rays manager Kevin Cash handed the ball over to high-leverage reliever Kevin Kelly.
Kelly made quick work of the rest of the fifth inning, pitching around a two-out walk of Christian Yelich to preserve the tie score as Game 5 reached the midway point.
Score: Brewers 2, Rays 2
Brewers' game-tying home run is the end of the line for Griffin Jax
Brewers’ nine-hole hitter David Hamilton ambushed Griffin Jax with a home run to knot the game at 2-2.
Rays manager Kevin Cash was quick to come out to lift Jax from the game, but four-plus quality innings from a guy who had never started a postseason game before has to be viewed as a successful outing.
Score: Brewers 2, Rays 2
Rays take the lead on aggressive base running and Brewers' error
This World Series has not lacked for action on the basepaths. This time, it’s the Rays who benefit from a blunder by the Brewers.
A leadoff single from Junior Caminero on the first pitch of the frame ends Dustin Mays’ night. Against JoJo Romero, Liam Hicks moves Caminero to second on a ground out. So far pretty straightforward.
OK so. Caminero on second. Jonny DeLuca hits a ball to Brewers third baseman David Hamilton, who tries to tag Caminero running by.
Caminero evades the tag and Hamilton throws the ball away trying to get the out at first base. Caminero comes around to score.
Brewers challenge, alleging Hamilton got Caminero but the call is upheld. The Rays go ahead.
But that’s right where the Brewers want ‘em.
Score: Rays 2, Brewers 1
Why baseball teams party so hard and so often in October
At the end of this series, the final party will begin. It will be the last in a long line of them.
Every major US sport has multi-round postseason schedules, but none of them party like MLB teams. Locker room celebrations in the NFL tend to be subdued until the Super Bowl, and since hockey players are famously superstitious, popping bottles early is practically verboten in the NHL; the Stanley Cup is all that really matters.
Boston Red Sox clubhouse manager Tom McLaughlin has spent over 40 years with the Red Sox, and he says he’s lost track of how many celebrations he’s been involved in, but he counts them in the dozens. He told CNN Sports it was “pretty tame” when he started in the ‘80s, when the postseason was much shorter, but the back end of the season now can feel like one enormous bender for the most successful teams.
Clinched a playoff spot? Party.
Successfully navigate the wildcard round? Let’s get wild.
Made it through the Divisional Round? Get another round in.
Won the Championship Series? We’re going on a spree.
By the time a baseball club wins the World Series, let’s just say that the celebration will not be their first rodeo. Everyone will have had plenty of practice.
Read more here on why baseball teams party all the time, party all the time, party all the time in October.
Brewers tie the game with more clutch 2-out hitting
The fourth inning started with another big play from the Rays as center fielder Jonny DeLuca robbed William Contreras with a fabulous diving catch that could have been big trouble if it had gotten past him.
Griffin Jax then notched his fifth K of the game with a three-pitch strikeout of Brice Turang.
But like last night’s Game 3, the Brewers found some two-out lighting with a single from Sal Frelick quickly followed by a double from Cooper Pratt to score Frelick and tie the game.
Jax bounced back with a strikeout of Garrett Mitchell to end the inning with no further damage.
Score: Brewers 1, Rays 1
Rays return to their not-hitting ways
Strikeout, ground out, fly out from Taylor Walls, Yandy Díaz, and Jonathan Aranda, respectively.
The Rays are showing range in how they make outs, but the end result is yet another 1-2-3 inning.
Sure, they still lead in the game, but we’ve written some version of that an awful lot this series. Entering tonight, the Rays lineup was hitting just .187 in the Fall Classic.
Score: Rays 1, Brewers 0
Jax continues to hold the Brewers at bay
Griffin Jax struck out David Hamilton swinging to open the third inning and complete one scoreless trip through the Brewers’ dangerous lineup.
Jackson Chourio gave a rude welcome to the second time around with a single into right field, Chourio’s ninth hit of the World Series.
Next up, Jake Bauers gave Jax a scare with a ball deep into left-center field, but speedy center fielder Jonny DeLuca was able to track it down and haul in the catch before running into the wall.
Jax ended the inning with a check-swing strikeout of Christian Yelich.
Score: Rays 1, Brewers 0
A couple of speedsters combine for Rays' first run
The Rays have a lead and a little life left!
So far this World Series, we’ve talked a lot about what the Brewers do well and what the Rays had done well previously but lately have been struggling with. Here’s something Tampa has done consistently well: Run really fast.
Jonny DeLuca (94th percentile sprint speed) reaches first based on a fielder’s choice and then scores on a double from Chandler Simpson (95th percentile sprint speed). Speed puts pressure on the opposition and finally, that’s translating to scoring for Tampa Bay.
Score: Rays 1, Brewers 0
Griffin Jax putting his stamp on the game
Rays starter Griffin Jax continued to pitch like he had nothing to lose in the second inning.
Pitching to contact, Jax induced a pair of hard-hit lineouts to the outfield from Sal Frelick and Cooper Pratt.
Jax put a cherry on top of another scoreless inning with a strikeout of Garrett Mitchell.
Score: Brewers 0, Rays 0
