Tampa Bay Rays walk off Game 4 win evens the World Series at 2-2. Rays’s Brett Phillips two out, two run double in the bottom of 9th gives Rays crucial win over Dodgers.
The last play of Game 4 of the World Series was a stunner. And the Dodgers, who were one strike away from taking a 3–1 lead in the World Series, are now tied 2–2 with the Tampa Bay Rays.
With runners on first and second in the bottom of the ninth inning, Kenley Jansen was ahead 1–2 on Brett Phillips. Phillips entered the game in the eighth inning as a pinch-runner and to that point had 10 hits the entire season.
Phillips singled into center field, which led to a chain of Dodger miscues. First, Chris Taylor bobbled the ball. Then, he recovered and threw to relay man Max Muncy, who threw home. The ball cut away on catcher Will Smith, who didn’t catch the throw. No one was backing up Smith.
Two runs scored on the play, including Randy Arozarena, who stumbled and fell midway from third base to home. The Dodgers, whose defense had been so crisp all postseason up until that point, lost the game 8–7.
It was not the third lead the Dodgers lost in the game. They led 4–2 in the bottom of the sixth, then Brandon Lowe hit a three-run home run off Pedro Báez.
They took a 6–5 lead when Joc Pederson knocked in two with a pinch-hit single in the top of the seventh. Then Kevin Kiermaier hit a solo home run to tie things 6–6 in the bottom of the seventh.
Corey Seager, who went 4-for-5, drove in two runs and scored three times, put the Dodgers back on top 7–6 with an RBI single in the top of the eighth.
Tampa Bay fought back again in the ninth, getting two on against Jansen. The final play of the game stung the most. After the game, Jansen said it wouldn’t last.
“There is no time to hang your head,” Jansen said. “Tomorrow’s another day. Whenever I get in that situation again, that save situation, I’m going to get in there and compete and help our team win.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said: “This is certainly a tough one, but I just know our guys, know the coaches. And we’re going to come in fresh tomorrow. I think we’re very resilient. We’re playing good baseball. We got beat. But we’ll be ready to go.”
The Dodgers scored all seven runs with two outs in the game and extended their postseason record to 57 runs with two outs. Justin Turner hit a solo home run in the first inning — his 12th career postseason homer, passing Duke Snider for the Dodgers’ all-time postseason lead. Seager homered in the top of the second to give the Dodgers a 2–0 lead.
Julio Urías continued his excellent postseason run. He started and went 4 2/3 innings. The Dodger left-hander allowed four hits, two runs (both on solo home runs, one to Arozarena in the fourth and another to Hunter Renfroe in the fifth), one walk and struck out nine.
Urías earned 20 swings and misses — a career-best. His previous high was 18 on April 18, 2019, against Milwaukee. His 25% swing-and-miss percentage was also a career-best (40 pitches or more in a game).
Rays rookie sensation Randy Arozarena had a another monster game, not only he scored the winning run in the wild final play. He finished game with 3 for 4,3 runs and record breaking 9th post season Home Run.
Key Stats from Game 4:
- Randy Arozarena
- Record for most HR (9)
- Rookie record for most hits (25)
- Ties AL record for most XBH (13)
- Brandon Lowe joins Chase Utley (2009), Jeff Kent (2002) and Davey Lopes (1978) as 2nd basemen to hit 3+ HR in a single #WorldSeries.
- Corey Seager and Justin Turner are the first pair of teammates to each collect 4+ hits in a #WorldSeries game since Paul Molitor and Robin Yount did so in 1982 (Game 1).
- Kevin Kiermaier’s HR is the first game-tying HR in the #WorldSeries by a player batting 9th since Chili Davis in 1991.
- Randy Arozarena now has 26 hits this postseason, tying 2014 Pablo Sandoval for most in a single postseason Sandoval played 17 games that year in the playoffs — tonight is Arozarena’s 18th
- Justin Turner now has 12 career #postseason HR, passing Duke Snider for the most in @Dodgers history.
