Full Breakdown
Brewers’ Game 4 Collapse and Aaron Ashby’s Record-Breaking Relief Streak
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
Game 4: A Near-Sweep Thwarted
On October 27 2026, the Milwaukee Brewers entered the bottom of the 12th inning of World Series Game 4 with a 3-2 lead and a chance to clinch the franchise’s first championship. Left-hander Aaron Ashby had retired every batter he faced through nine innings and kept the game scoreless into extra innings, breaking Andrew Miller’s postseason record for consecutive scoreless relief innings. Manager Pat Murphy pulled Ashby after one out in the 11th, bringing in Antonio Senzatela, who recorded two outs before rookie left-hander Shane Drohan entered. A throwing error by third baseman Joey Ortiz on Junior Caminero’s leadoff grounder opened the door, and the Tampa Bay Rays capitalized with four straight singles by Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, Chandler Simpson and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson to win 4-3 and force Game 5.
02
Record-Setting Relief Performance
Ashby’s 18 scoreless innings this postseason surpassed Miller’s 16-inning mark set in 2016. Over nine postseason appearances he allowed five hits, walked three batters and struck out 20. Including the regular season, Ashby has thrown a career-best 22 2/3 straight scoreless innings.
Visual evidence
Images from the story
03
Managerial Decisions and Bullpen Usage
Pat Murphy explained that Ashby’s velocity had dipped after 31 pitches, prompting the decision to remove him despite the historic streak. After the error, Murphy turned to Drohan, who had not pitched since the NLCS on October 15 2026, trusting him to face the left-handed Rays lineup. The Brewers’ bullpen had allowed nine earned runs over 61 2/3 postseason innings, underscoring the reliance on Ashby’s extended outings.
04
Player Reactions
Cooper Pratt, who hit the go-ahead solo homer in the top of the 12th, urged his teammates to “flush it” and focus on the next game. The Rays’ comeback was described by manager Kevin Cash as a demonstration of “resiliency” after the Brewers’ early dominance.
05
Series Outlook and Upcoming Game
Game 5 is scheduled for October 28 2026 at Tropicana Field, with NL Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski slated to start for Milwaukee. The series now stands at 3-1, giving the Brewers a chance to regroup after the extra-inning loss while the Rays seek to avoid a sweep.
06
Historical Context and Viewership
The Brewers’ 3-0 series lead placed them among 25 teams that have taken a 3-0 advantage in a World Series; 21 of those teams completed a sweep, and only four won the series in five games. The Rays became the fifth of 26 teams to win Game 4 after trailing 3-0, joining the 1912 Boston Red Sox, 1986 New York Mets, 2011 St. Louis Cardinals and the 2022 Houston Astros.
Fox Sports president for insight and analytics Mike Mulvihill noted that the series’ television audience was only 6 % below the previous year’s opening games, saying the “traditional team from the Midwest” helped sustain interest despite the small-market matchup.
07
Verbatim Quotes
- “One of those cool things, I guess, but more so that loss stings,” — Left-hander Aaron Ashby
- “I've got to make that play. Just no excuse about it, no matter what anyone says,” — Joey Ortiz
- “He was disappointed he was coming out but I said, ‘We’ve got to be mindful of your health, and we’ve got to be mindful of winning the whole thing,’” — Pat Murphy, manager
- “We've got a lot of fight in us. We're never going to shy away,” — Chandler Simpson