The Tampa Bay Rays managed to narrowly keep their World Series hopes alive in a tense Game 4 that rumbled on late into the early hours of Wednesday morning. 

The Rays entered the do-or-die Game 4 on Tuesday desperately needing a win to extend the series and avoid a championship sweep at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers. 

It took four and a half hours and 12 innings but Tampa Bay finally managed to find their first win of the best-of-seven World Series deep into extra innings, beating the Brewers 4-3. 

Milwaukee had headed into the deciding Game 4 with a 3-0 series lead, but for the first time this month, the Brewers couldn't muster a win. 

Rays pinch-hitter Ben Williamson hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning to extend the World Series for at least another day. 

Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt looked to have put Milwaukee on the brink of a historic title when the 22-year-old hit the would-be championship home run in the top of the 12th, finally breaking the deadlock and taking the lead.

However, the resilient Rays rallied down to their last three outs - making each one count. Jonny DeLuca found the tying run for Tampa Bay with a single two batters before Williamson stepped up to the plate for the walk-off comeback. 

Ahead of the first pitch, the Rays needing to defy historical trends just to keep their chances alive.

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.

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.

Brewers fans have been waiting for their crowning 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. 

Many sported jerseys of blue and gold, some even donned the iconic 'cheese heads' of the region's NFL franchise, the Green Bay Packers, as they sat among the cowbell-ringing Rays crowd on Tuesday night.

However, they were left bitterly disappointed as their potential championship celebrations were postponed until at least Wednesday evening when the series returns to Milwaukee for Game 5. 

More to follow.