Rays Stave Off Sweep: Ben Williamson’s Walk-Off Single Keeps World Series Hopes Alive

Ralph Garcia October 28, 2026 at 1:45 am 4 minutes read

Photo source: The Japan Times Sports

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Milwaukee Brewers were three outs away from celebrating their first World Series title in franchise history. Instead, the Tampa Bay Rays conjured up a dose of October magic as they refused to give this series away.

Down 3-0 in the series and trailing in extra innings in Game 4 at Tropicana Field, the Rays rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 12th to shock the Brewers 4-3 on Tuesday night. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson delivered the walk-off blow, bouncing a single over first baseman Jake Bauers to score the winning run and force a Game 5 on Wednesday night.

With the victory, Tampa Bay became only the fifth team in MLB history to trail 3-0 in a World Series and win Game 4 to avoid a sweep.

2026 WORLD SERIES GAME 4 - FINAL SCORE (12 INNINGS)
---------------------------------------------------
Milwaukee Brewers   3   (8 Hits, 2 Errors)
Tampa Bay Rays      4   (9 Hits, 1 Error)
WP: Ian Seymour (2-0)
LP: Shane Drohan (0-1)
HR: MIL - Cooper Pratt (1), David Hamilton (1)

The 12th-Inning Rollercoaster

The ballgame reached a boiling point in the top of the 12th inning. Rookie sensation Cooper Pratt—who had already collected three hits on the night—launched a go-ahead solo home run into the left-field seats off Rays reliever Ian Seymour. The blast gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead and put the Brewers within striking distance of a World Series crown.

However, the bottom half of the inning disintegrated for the Milwaukee defense:

The Leadoff Error: Junior Caminero hit a routine ground ball to third base. Joey Ortiz’s throw pulled Bauers off the bag for an error. Pinch-runner Cedric Mullins entered the game for Caminero.
The Clutch Hit: After a Liam Hicks single against reliever Shane Drohan, Jonny DeLuca lined an RBI single into center field to drive home Mullins and tie the game at 3-3.
The Walk-Off Moment: Speedster Chandler Simpson loaded the bases with an infield single. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy brought in a five-man infield, bringing left fielder Sal Frelick onto the dirt. Williamson, who was 1-for-15 in the postseason entering the at-bat, chopped a pitch high over Bauer’s outstretched glove and into right field to trigger a wild celebration.

“We’ve got a lot of fight in us,” Simpson said following the emotional win. “We’re never going to shy away. We were going to keep fighting until the end — the last inning, the last out, the last play, the last pitch.”

Never back down 💪 https://t.co/FbutR2SBG1

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 28, 2026

Pitching Duels and Defensive Highlights

Long before the 12th-inning drama, Game 4 stood as a taut, low-scoring battle. Tampa Bay took an early lead in the second inning when Chandler Simpson lined an RBI double down the right-field line to score DeLuca from first.

Milwaukee responded in the fifth when No. 9 hitter David Hamilton launched a solo home run off Rays starter Griffin Jax to knot the score at 1-1. The Brewers briefly took a 2-1 lead in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Jackson Chourio—who went 2-for-5 to bring his World Series hit total to 10-for-20—before Tampa Bay answered back in the bottom half.

The Rays’ bullpen proved essential in keeping the season alive. After Jax worked four innings, the Tampa Bay relief corps—including Game 1 starter Nick Martinez—combined to throw seven scoreless innings to keep Milwaukee within reach. DeLuca also made a key defensive play, robbing William Contreras of extra bases with a diving center-field catch.

Looking Ahead to Game 5

While Milwaukee still holds a 3-1 series lead, momentum has shifted inside Tropicana Field. Game 5 tips off Wednesday night at 8:00 PM ET, with Tampa Bay aiming to send the series back to Milwaukee for Game 6, while the Brewers once again try to close out their first championship in franchise history.