Brewers' bullpen cracks in Game 4 loss after Aaron Ashby breaks postseason scoreless relief mark

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Just three outs from winning the first World Series title in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers' bullpen finally faltered.

Left-hander Aaron Ashby retired all seven batters he faced in Game 4 against Tampa Bay and broke Andrew Miller's record for scoreless innings by a reliever in one postseason. But manager Pat Murphy pulled Ashby with one out in the 11th.

Murphy had used six pitchers already and turned to Antonio Senzatela, who got two outs to finish that inning. The right-hander began the 12th with a one-run lead after rookie Cooper Pratt put the Brewers ahead 3-2 with a solo homer.

However, third baseman Joey Ortiz made a throwing error on Junior Caminero’s leadoff grounder, and that proved costly.

Rookie left-hander Shane Drohan entered and allowed four straight singles to Liam Hicks, Jonny DeLuca, Chandler Simpson and pinch-hitter Ben Williamson as the Rays avoided a sweep with a 4-3 victory Tuesday night.

“I’m human. I knew what I was walking into. I just didn’t do the job there,” said Drohan, who hadn't pitched since Oct. 15 against the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

Drohan made 19 starts in 33 apperances and posted a 4.19 ERA during the regular season.

“We thought Drohan could come in and face the lefties there,” Murphy said. “It seems like the ball was up a little bit. It was a little flat, but we learned from it. ... If the first guy hits a groundball, double play, we’re not even talking about it. He threw strikes. Give him some credit, it was a tough situation. But we’re in the 12th inning and we’re drained a little bit."

Ortiz, one of the team's best fielders, took the blame for his error after entering the game as a substitution because Murphy removed David Hamilton for a pinch hitter.

“I've got to make that play. Just no excuse about it, no matter what anyone says,” Ortiz said.

At least the Brewers can turn to ace Jacob Misiorowski in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Their relievers have allowed nine earned runs over 61 2/3 postseason innings.

Ashby passed Miller with a 1-2-3 ninth, followed with a perfect 10th, retired the first batter in the bottom of the 11th and left the game not having allowed a run in 18 innings over nine postseason appearances.

“One of those cool things, I guess, but more so that loss stings,” Ashby said. “It’s part of our story and I think the boys are fired up to get back in here tomorrow.”

Said Brewers captain Christian Yelich: “He’s been awesome for us. He loves the ball. I'm sure he would've kept pitching.”

Ashby pitched the final three innings to close out an NLCS sweep of the Dodgers on Oct. 15, and got five outs in both Games 1 and 2 against the Rays.

“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,’” Murphy said. “`If you’re going to win the whole thing, you have to understand that we can’t drain you today or risk injury today.' He’s thrown a lot. Luckily, we got out of that situation, and it didn’t hurt us.”

Ashby, who was 13-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 71 relief appearances during the season, has been untouchable in October. He's allowed five hits, walked three and has 20 strikeouts.

Miller had the longest streak of consecutive scoreless relief innings within one postseason with 16 in 2016 for Cleveland. Including the regular season, Ashby has thrown a career-best 22 2/3 straight scoreless innings.

Ashby had struggled in the postseason before this one. He allowed nine runs — eight earned — in 9 1/3 playoff innings over 10 appearances in 2021, 2024 and 2025.

Ashby's fastball reached 99 mph but his velocity went down as he accumulated 31 pitches.

“The velo was down quite a bit,” Murphy said. “We can tell when Ashby’s ball doesn’t have the same movement and the same finish. So it was time (to take him out).”

Ashby understood the decision.

“I think I had an idea of why he was coming out,” Ashby said, referring to his velocity. "I feel good, but probably a part of throwing a lot of innings. Felt good to keep going but we have more games now, try and recover as well as I can tonight and be ready to go as soon as possible.”

Brewers closer Trevor Megill struck out the only batter he faced to end the eighth. He should be available in Game 5.

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, left, pulls Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan (55) from the game during the second inning of Game 4 of baseball's National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Shane Drohan leaves the game during the second inning of Game 4 of baseball's National League Championship Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby throws during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Aaron Ashby throws during the eighth inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A large group of Brewers fans gathered in a parking lot outside Tropicana Field more than four hours before the first pitch of Game 4 of the World Series, sipping on Wisconsin beers and preparing for a potentially historic night.

They have to wait at least one more day.

With the Brewers needing one more win to celebrate the first World Series title in franchise history, the bullpen couldn't protect a 3-2 lead in the 12th inning and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for a 4-3 victory Tuesday night to avoid a sweep.

“We’re ready to party,” a man wearing a pinstriped, white William Contreras No. 24 jersey said before the game.

A celebration still seems inevitable.

Of the 43 previous major league teams to fall behind 3-0 in any best-of-seven postseason series, only the 2004 Boston Red Sox rallied to win four straight games when they beat the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Brewers fans have been waiting for this moment since 1970 — the franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee a year later. Thousands of fans made the trip from Wisconsin to Florida and sat among the cowbell-ringing Rays crowd on Monday night. Most were sitting behind the visitors’ dugout and along the third-base line, and they had plenty to cheer about in a 10-1 victory.

“The atmosphere here with the amount of Brewers fans, you can feel it, and it started in batting practice yesterday,” Milwaukee’s Garrett Mitchell said Tuesday. “Just like when we were stretching, you could hear it. It was lots of ‘Let’s go Brewers’ chants. To have that on the road, pretty special. Pretty special.”

More Brewers fans were in the ballpark for Game 4 because their team is on the verge of a championship, and the Rays need to defy historical trends just to shift the series back to Milwaukee.

There have been 25 teams that took a 3-0 lead in the World Series. Of those, 21 finished the sweep in Game 4, and the remaining four won the series in Game 5.

The cheapest ticket available for Game 4 was $900, according to ticket marketplace TickPick. A total of 41.3% of all purchases for Game 4 have come from Wisconsin, compared to 30.5% from Florida and 3.4% from Illinois, according to TickPick.

A fan wearing a powder blue, No. 19 Robin Yount jersey held a broomstick in the parking lot, anticipating a sweep. Once the gates opened, there was a loud “Let's go Brewers” chant when players began stretching in left field.

As the stadium began to fill about an hour before the first pitch, it appeared there were more Brewers fans than Rays fans in the stands. They filled the area behind Milwaukee's dugout and screamed when the players walked back to the clubhouse.

“It was awesome,” Brewers captain Christian Yelich said after Game 3. “They were really loud from batting practice on throughout the game. I said it a bunch, but they brought it this year in Milwaukee and on the road. We understand how much this team and our performance affects people’s happiness in Milwaukee and how many memories have been made over the years watching Brewer baseball, watching us play, whether that’s among family, the friends, parents, grandparents, whatever it may be. So, I know this team doesn’t take that lightly and I understand that our team means a lot to people and it’s a big reason why we press so hard about that.”

And for those who didn't make the road trip, American Family Field in Milwaukee sold out a watch party for 31,000 fans.

“Those are great people that care about the Brewers a great deal, and we need their continued support because we’re playing a great ball club that has had some adversity in the series and they bounced back really nice tonight,” manager Pat Murphy said.

Milwaukee’s only previous trip to the World Series in 1982 ended in heartbreak when the Brewers blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7 and lost 6-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Murphy’s team is trying to finish what Harvey Kuenn’s star-studded crew couldn’t accomplish. Harvey’s Wallbangers had five Hall of Famers: Yount, Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, Don Sutton and Rollie Fingers. But Fingers missed the postseason with a forearm injury. They also had Hall of Famer Bob Uecker in the broadcast booth.

“I think it’s just about the Brewers, it’s about the city of Milwaukee, it’s about the state of Wisconsin all coming together,” Murphy said. “We all play a role. It’s wonderful to all be together. Hopefully we continue to play well enough to win.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Fans arrive for a watch party to watch the Milwaukee Brewers play the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 of baseball's World Series Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)

A Milwaukee Brewers fan watches warm ups prior to Game 4 of baseball's World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Milwaukee Brewers fans cheer during the eighth inning of Game 1 of baseball's World Series, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

A Milwaukee Brewers fan watch batting practice prior to Game 2 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers fans watch batting practice prior to Game 2 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers fans watch batting practice prior to Game 2 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers fans cheer after Game 3 of baseball's World Series, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)