ARLINGTON, Texas — The Los Angeles Dodgers were a strike away from having the World Series in an iron grip on Saturday night, one more pitch from Kenley Jansen to put away maybe the last hitter on the roster the Tampa Bay Rays wanted at the plate with the game on the line.
But Brett Phillips made contact and what followed was one of the most bizarre endings of any baseball game, postseason or otherwise.
The result was 8-7 victory by the Rays that defied reason.
“It’s tough to process,” Ray manager Kevin Cash said. “I can’t believe that happened.”
Phillips dropped a single into center field and Kevin Kiermaier scored from second base to tie the game. Jansen fell to his knees in disgust.
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It got worse.
Center fielder Chris Taylor took his eye off the ball and it popped out of his glove. He picked it up and fired in to first baseman Max Muncy,
Randy Arozarena, running hard from first base, headed for the plate and tripped. Muncy relayed the ball to the plate, but it got past catcher Will Smith.
Arozarena scrambled to his feet and dove to the plate, slapping his hand down to win the game.
“I just tried to run as hard as I could,” Arozarena said via an interpreter. “I thought I was out.”
Now the Series is tied 2-2 with Clayton Kershaw starting for the Dodgers against Tyler Glasnow on Sunday night.
“I’m still catching my breath. Truly incredible,” Kiermaier said. “Randy was the happiest man on the planet after falling. The baseball gods were on our side. I’m at a loss for words. I don’t know that you’ll ever see anything like that again in the World Series.”
Phillips, who wasn’t on the roster for the ALCS, was at the plate for the first time since Oct. 7. His last hit was on Sept. 25. He was the fifth player Tampa Bay used off its bench in a wild game.
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Phillips was on the roster as a pinch runner and defensive replacement.
“Biggest at-bat of his life,” Kiermaier said.
The first three games of the Series were played without a single lead change or particularly dramatic moments. When the Dodgers built a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning and had lefthander Julio Urias pitching well, it seemed to be more of the same.
Then the game turned into a classic.
Hunter Renfroe homered for the Rays in the bottom of the fifth to draw them a run closer. The Dodgers responded with a run in the sixth on a two-out double by No. 9 hitter Kike Hernandez.
Blake Treinen put two runners on in the bottom of the inning and was replaced by Pedro Baez. Brandon Lowe foiled that strategy by driving a two-strike fastball deep over the fence in left-center to give the Rays a 5-4 lead.
It was the first lead change of the Series.
Corey Seager and Justin Turner led off the top of the seventh with singles off Aaron Loup. Muncy struck out then righthander Nick Anderson struck Smith.
The Rays intentionally walked Cody Bellinger to load the bases, but pinch hitter Joc Pederson singled to right field to drive in two runs.
That 6-5 lead did not last long as Kiermaier homered off Baez in the bottom of the inning,
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Taylor doubled leading off the eighth for the Dodgers. Hernandez, who did not have a sacrifice all season, was called on to bunt. It was a soft liner to third baseman Joey Wendle.
Mookie Betts hit the ball hard — 99.5 miles per hour — but right on the ground to shortstop. Seager again delivered, this time with a soft single to center and the Dodgers again had a lead.
All seven runs scored by the Dodgers came with two outs. They have scored 55 of their 94 runs in the postseason with two outs.
Jansen, who lost the closer’s job earlier in the postseason then gained it back, got one out before Kiermaier singled. With two outs, Jansen pitched carefully to Arozarena, who had homered earlier in the game, knowing Phillips was on deck. Arozarena walked and that set up Phillips.
“Baseball works in mysterious ways,” Kiermaier said. “You can’t make that stuff up.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.
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How Brett Phillips, the last man on the Rays' roster, started the most bizarre World Series ending you will ever see - The Boston Globe
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