Game 4 of the World Series gave fans one of the most chaotic endings in recent memory. The Dodgers were up 7-6 in the bottom of the ninth, three outs from taking a 3-1 series lead. Kenley Jansen came in to close, and things started fine with a strikeout. But then Kevin Kiermaier blooped a single, followed by a Randy Arozarena walk to put the tying and winning runs on base. That brought up Brett Phillips, who hadn’t had an at-bat in over two weeks and hadn’t recorded a hit in more than a month.
Phillips worked the count and punched a soft single into right-center. Chris Taylor misplayed it, allowing Kiermaier to score. Arozarena, running hard, tripped between third and home. The Dodgers had him dead, but the relay throw home was off-target and Will Smith couldn’t corral it. Arozarena scrambled to the plate and scored. The Rays walked it off, 8-7.
Phillips, stunned, sprinted through the outfield in celebration, eventually collapsing from exhaustion. Arozarena rolled on home plate, soaking it all in after somehow scoring the winning run. The Dodgers fell apart defensively in the final seconds. The Rays capitalized on every mistake. A crucial shift in the series came from the unlikeliest of heroes in Phillips, whose only World Series at-bat turned into one of the wildest finishes the game has seen.