Throughout the 123-year history of Major League Baseball's (MLB) World Series, no team has ever managed to overcome a three-games-to-zero deficit to be crowned champion. This situation represents one of professional baseball's greatest challenges, as the trailing team needs to win four consecutive games to clinch the title. Historical precedents underscore the difficulty of achieving such a feat in the Fall Classic.

The most notable precedent occurred in 2004, when the Boston Red Sox came back from a 0-3 deficit against the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Boston won the next four games and advanced to the World Series, where they subsequently defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to win their first championship since 1918. According to MLB historical records, this remains the only comeback from a three-game deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series.

In the 2026 World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays faced the same challenge against the Milwaukee Brewers, after losing the first three games. Although history was against them, Tampa Bay secured a 4-3 victory in 12 innings during the fourth game, played on October 27, to avoid elimination and keep their aspirations alive. The result allowed the Rays to become the fifth team to win the fourth game of a World Series after starting with an 0-3 deficit, though they still needed to string together three more wins to complete an unprecedented comeback.