ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It doesn’t always feel like a home game for the Rays. Unable to afford or afford Wisconsin’s first major league games in 44 years, crowds of Brewers fans flew to Florida to see their team clinch. But home field advantage played a part in the Rays’ improbable, dramatic 12-inning 4-3 win in Game 4 to extend the World Series by at least one night.
The Tropicana turf field is one of the fastest playing surfaces in the league, and the Rays can take advantage of it in a way that no other team can extract from their home field. So while the Brewers took the lead in the top of the 12th by hitting the ball in the usual direction — up, in the form of a Pratt Cooper solo run — the Rays were pushed back with four bases and a line out in the bottom of the inning.
The decision hit, by Ben Williamson, went straight to the turf, Milwaukee drew-in a five-man infield, jumped, and … where he cares. The rays are still alive.
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