The Brewers missed their first chance to end the World Series on Tuesday night. They lost 4-3 in 12 innings to the Rays at Tropicana Field, and they now hand the ball to Jacob Misiorowski for Game 5 on Wednesday, Oct. 28. MLB.com's headline frames it as costly errors sinking Milwaukee, with the club hoping the right-hander can deliver a title-winning bounceback. Sportsnet confirmed the start. Yahoo Sports wrote that the Brewers are "holding ace" and that Misiorowski can put "a cherry on top of his Cy Young 2026 season." Deadspin called it Milwaukee's second attempt to end the Series. It said Tampa Bay, "with some pent-up energy and a fearless attitude," extended its season at least one more day.
The box score backs up the errors framing. Milwaukee made two, one in the fourth inning and one in the 12th, and Tampa Bay made one, in the first. The pitching lines are close to even. Brewers pitchers gave up three earned runs over 11 innings, and Rays pitchers gave up three earned runs over 12. Milwaukee struck out 11 times and Tampa Bay 10.
The game was settled in the 12th. Shane Drohan took the loss without retiring a batter. He allowed four hits and one run, and Ben Williamson's pinch-hit single to right scored Nick Fortes for the winner. Milwaukee had taken a 3-2 lead in the 12th on a hit by Cooper Pratt, who went 4-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs. David Hamilton also homered. The Rays scored twice in the bottom half, and the second run came on Williamson's single. The game lasted 4:20 in front of 40,514.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| TB | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
Misiorowski is the reason Milwaukee still likes its position. He went 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA this season, striking out 252 batters in 174.2 innings over 30 games. Yahoo's Cy Young description comes from its own reporting, and we have not checked it against the award voting. The Brewers' bullpen was stretched on Tuesday. Dustin May, JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe, DL Hall, Trevor Megill, Aaron Ashby, Antonio Senzatela and Drohan all pitched, so a deep start from Misiorowski would help.
Milwaukee won 103 games and finished first in the NL Central. The Rays won 98 and took the AL East. Before Tuesday, the Brewers had won five straight, including a 10-1 win at Tampa Bay on Monday and a 5-4 win at home on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Rays are coming off their first win of that stretch, and it came in extra innings.
| G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 174.2 | 16 | 5 | 1.80 | 252 |
Game 5 is at Tropicana Field on Wednesday. If Tampa Bay wins again, the Series goes back to Milwaukee for games on Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31.
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