The Buzz · October 28, 2026
The Buzz — Wednesday, October 28
Two men in the 12th inning decided Game 4 — a rookie who put Milwaukee three outs from a title and a pinch-hitter who refused to let the season end. The numbers say what each moment is actually worth.
Ben Williamson
The take Rays pinch-hitter walk-off saves season from sweep
He was 1-for-15 in the postseason when he stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and the Rays one run from elimination. Milwaukee had taken a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th. Jonny DeLuca singled to tie it. Then Williamson chopped one over first, and Tampa Bay had a 4-3 win and a Game 5.
The hit was not a hot bat arriving — it was a quiet one finding the right ball at the last second. The Rays are the fifth team to force a Game 5 after trailing 0-3, and the road from here is the hard one. The single bought Tampa Bay a night. It did not buy them a series.
Ben Williamson cards on eBay →(paid link)
Cooper Pratt
The take Rookie nearly clinches WS title with historic 4-hit Game 4
The leadoff homer in the top of the 12th off Ian Seymour broke a 2-2 tie and put Milwaukee three outs from clinching. Pratt went 4-for-5 with a double, the solo homer, and 2 RBI — production that should have been enough.
Elias confirms what the line means: the first rookie in World Series history with four hits in a potential clinching game, and the first extra-inning home run by a rookie in Series history. The swing did not hold. The Rays answered with two runs in the bottom of the 12th for a 4-3 walk-off, and Milwaukee leads the series 3-1 instead of celebrating.
"That was probably one of the coolest swings of my life," Pratt said. "But it's over." The line is historic; the result is unfinished. The best individual performance of this World Series belongs to a man whose team still needs to win again — and the Rays just proved they will not hand it over.
Cooper Pratt cards on eBay →(paid link)
Game 5
Milwaukee leads 3-1, and the bet here is they close it out. Pratt's line says the bats will show up. But the Rays just took a 4-3 game in 12 innings from a club that was three outs from clinching, and Tampa Bay is the fifth team to force a Game 5 after trailing 0-3. They are playing with nothing to lose. The Brewers are playing with a historic rookie performance on the wrong end of the scoreboard. Finish it in Game 5, or that 12th inning becomes the one that got away.