As soon as he swung his bat, Cooper Pratt knew he had it. He had just smacked a hanging sweeper from Ian Seymour deep to left-center field, and the 22-year-old shortstop watched it fly as he moved out of the batter’s box.

The ball sailed into the stands as the Brewers’ dugout, along with about half of the crowd at Tropicana Field, erupted in delirium. Pratt, the unlikeliest of heroes, had just put Milwaukee ahead 3–2 in the top of the 12th inning, leaving them three outs from their first World Series championship.

COOPER PRATT PUTS THE BREWERS ON THE DOORSTEP! pic.twitter.com/jZejkshf9G

— MLB (@MLB) October 28, 2026

Pratt touched home plate and was greeted with a raucous celebration in the dugout. A rookie who had hit just three home runs all season had seemingly delivered the crowning moment of Milwaukee’s remarkable season.…