What We Know About Brewers' Game 4 Loss to the Rays

The Milwaukee Brewers were three outs from their first World Series title Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida, but the Tampa Bay Rays scored in the bottom of the 12th inning to win Game 4, 4-3, and force a Game 5, according to ESPN.

What happened in the 12th inning?

Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt opened the top of the 12th with a home run that put Milwaukee ahead, giving the 22-year-old four hits in the game, ESPN reported. "That was probably one of the coolest swings of my life," Pratt said, "but it's over." The lead did not hold. In the bottom half, Tampa Bay put its first five batters on base and walked off with the win, handing Milwaukee its first postseason loss in 21 days, per ESPN.

Who pitched the loss for Milwaukee?

Rookie reliever Shane Drohan, who had not pitched in 12 days, was brought in after a throwing error by third baseman Joey Ortiz put the tying run on base to open the inning, ESPN reported. "I'm human," Drohan said. "I know what I was walking into, and I just didn't get the job done."

How dominant had the Brewers been before this loss?

Milwaukee had won 10 of its first 11 postseason games this October, including a stretch of eight straight wins, according to ESPN. That run made the path to a title look easy, team captain Christian Yelich said, until Tuesday's collapse reminded everyone it isn't.

"This stuff is not supposed to be easy," Yelich said. "It's supposed to test you."

What does the loss mean for Game 5?

The series now returns for a fifth game instead of ending in a sweep, ESPN reported. Milwaukee still holds the series lead and needs one more win to close it out; Tampa Bay needs to win out to force a trip back to Milwaukee. ESPN also noted that Rays third baseman Junior Caminero said he is "100%" ready to play Game 5 despite an injury, and that Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby set a record for scoreless innings by a reliever in a single postseason during the loss.

What should fans watch for next?

• Game 5 start time and location: The game is scheduled in St. Petersburg, Florida, per ESPN's coverage of the series.
• Bullpen workload: Both teams used relievers heavily in the extra-inning game, which could affect pitching decisions in Game 5.
• Caminero's health: The Rays third baseman said he is fully ready to play despite the injury concern noted by ESPN.
• Series ratings: ESPN reported the World Series audience was down only 6% through the first two games, below some preseason predictions of a steeper drop.

Milwaukee has not won a World Series title in franchise history. A win in Game 5 would end that drought; a loss would send the series back to Milwaukee for a potential Game 6.