Despite Cooper Pratt’s best efforts, the Milwaukee Brewers failed to complete a four-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays. The rookie shortstop had a game to remember, going 4-for-5 at the plate with a go-ahead home run in the 12th inning.
His home run put the Brewers up 3-2 and three outs away from their first World Series championship. But for the first time this postseason, the club experienced adversity of its own making.
A rare defensive miscue set the tone for the inning, putting the tying run on base. The Rays followed with four consecutive hits against left-hander Shane Drohan, with Ben Williamson sending the series to a fifth game.
The Brewers are still in the driver’s seat for this World Series. They’ll enter Game 5 with their ace, Jacob Misiorowski, ready to go. But the pressure to close out the Rays could increase if the series extends any further.
Brewers Rookie Shortstop Cooper Pratt Has Excelled in the World Series
When the Milwaukee Brewers signed Pratt to a $50 million extension, they envisioned a player who would develop into a difference-maker. It only took one season for Pratt to deliver on that promise, with the game-winning RBI in two of their four World Series wins.
With his 12th-inning home run, Pratt gave the Brewers a 3-2 lead in Game 4. That comes on the heels of his game-winning RBI in Game 2, in which the club came back from a 4-0 deficit to win. The 22-year-old’s rookie season has been under the microscope with Milwaukee pursuing a championship this October.
Even though there has been pressure for Pratt to perform right away, the rookie has answered the call. He’s 6-for-16 in the World Series after his big Game 4 performance.
For this postseason, he’s hitting .333 with an .829 OPS. While Jackson Chourio rightfully gets praised for the work he’s done in the postseason, Pratt is another 22-year-old on the Brewers doing great things.
Brewers Bullpen Fails for First Time in 2026 Postseason
The X-factor for the Brewers this postseason has been their bullpen. They entered this game with a collective ERA of 1.34 and a 0.88 WHIP. But for the first time this postseason, the unit couldn’t deliver when called upon to finish a win.
Pat Murphy’s management of the bullpen will be under the microscope for this game. By the end of the 11th, he had already burned his top three leverage arms. Trevor Megill, Aaron Ashby, and Abner Uribe were spent trying to give the offense a chance to win in regulation.
But once they had the lead, Murphy’s options dwindled to close it out. They sent out Antonio Senzatela, who finished off the 11th, to begin the inning. He got Junior Caminero to hit a ground ball to third, but Joey Ortiz spiked the throw, and the Brewers didn’t get an out. That opened the floodgates, as Drohan did not retire a single batter and took the loss.
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