Rays force Game 5 after 12th-inning walk-off hit

Ben Williamson singled in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Tampa Bay Rays a walk-off victory in Game 4 of the World Series. The hit prevented the Milwaukee Brewers from securing their first championship and forced a decisive fifth game.

Milwaukee maintains a 3-1 series lead. The teams will return to Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET. The Rays must win to send the series back to Milwaukee for a potential sixth game.

Game 4 lasted four hours and 20 minutes. Fifteen pitchers entered over 23 innings, exchanging 367 pitches to face 90 batters. Brewers manager Pat Murphy noted the heavy toll on his roster. "We drained a lot of pitching, as they did, and that's part of playing a tight ballgame," Murphy said.

Jacob Misiorowski will start Game 5 on four days of rest. The right-hander threw 78 pitches in five innings during Game 1. He posted a 1.64 ERA and struck out 34 batters in 22 innings during the regular season when he worked on four days of rest. Misiorowski threw 88 pitches in four innings against the Padres in the NLDS and 94 pitches in four and a third innings against the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy expects to rely on his bullpen again. Aaron Ashby retired seven batters on 31 pitches in Game 4. Abner Uribe retired six straight batters on 19 pitches. Both missed Game 3 and should be available. Trevor Megill threw five pitches to one batter in Game 4.

The Rays face a more complex pitching situation. Manager Kevin Cash said no starter had been decided. Drew Rasmussen, who threw 89 pitches over three and two-thirds innings in Game 2, is a candidate for short rest. Nick Martinez, the Game 1 starter, pitched two innings on 33 pitches out of the bullpen in Game 4. A bullpen game appears likely.

The Brewers committed eight errors in the postseason. Two of those errors occurred in Game 4 via errant throws from third base that resulted in runs. Milwaukee hitters recorded 12 of the 13 hardest-hit balls in that game. Lineups for Wednesday had not been released.