The Brief
Ben Williamson delivered a game-winning hit in the 12th inning to keep Tampa Bay's World Series hopes alive at Tropicana Field.
The 25-year-old infielder came off the bench and drove home the decisive run to cut Milwaukee's series lead to 3-1.
Williamson's walk-off single capped a two-run rally after the Brewers took a one-run lead in extra frames.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.- The Tampa Bay Rays needed a hero to keep their World Series hopes alive. Ben Williamson wasn't the player many expected to deliver, but the versatile infielder came through when it mattered most.
The backstory
With Tampa Bay on the brink of elimination, Williamson's game-winning hit in the 12th inning kept the team's World Series hopes alive.
Williamson came off the bench in the bottom of the 12th inning Tuesday night and hit a walk-off single to right field, lifting the Rays to a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 4 of the World Series at Tropicana Field.
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With Tampa Bay trailing 3-2 and the bases loaded, Williamson put the first pitch he saw into play. The ball bounced past the right side of the infield, scoring Nick Fortes and sending the Rays into a celebration as they avoided elimination and cut Milwaukee's series lead to 3-1.
The high-stakes hit instantly placed Williamson among baseball royalty. Former William & Mary head baseball coach Brian Murphy praised Williamson's growth from his collegiate playing days into an elite competitor.
"To come up with that hit how many people have walk offs in the World Series, you're talking about Bill Mazeroski and Kurt Gibson and Joe Carter, there's not many," Murphy said.
But who is Williamson, and how did the infielder become the unlikely hero of one of the Rays' biggest games of the season?
Timeline
Williamson is a 25-year-old infielder who joined the Rays in February 2026 after spending the start of his professional career in the Seattle Mariners' organization.
Williamson's path to the major leagues wasn't guaranteed. After going undrafted following his junior season at William & Mary, he returned to school, added muscle and improved his power at the plate. The turnaround paid off: Seattle selected him in the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft.
A native of Fairfax, Virginia, Williamson played four seasons at William & Mary, earning conference player of the year honors as a senior. He made his major league debut with Seattle in April 2025.
Murphy pointed back to Williamson's collegiate work ethic as the foundation for his professional success.
"Talented kid as we've seen develop through his career," Murphy said. "At that time we were really impressed with his defense. We loved how hard he played and obviously I think those have kind of been the things that carried him to where he is now."
Williamson played 85 games for the Mariners during his rookie season, primarily at third base, before being sent to Triple-A in July 2025. He continued developing in the minors before Seattle traded him to Tampa Bay the following offseason.
The Rays acquired Williamson as part of a three-team deal involving the Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals. Seattle received infielder Brendan Donovan from St. Louis, while Tampa Bay added Williamson to its infield mix.
Dig deeper
Williamson arrived in Tampa Bay with a reputation for his defense, versatility and ability to put the ball in play.
Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said the team was looking for a right-handed-hitting infielder who could handle second base, third base and shortstop.
Williamson had spent most of his time at third base, but the Rays believed his defensive ability could translate to other positions around the infield.
The Rays saw an opportunity to add a player who could contribute in different ways, even if he wasn't an everyday starter.
That versatility helped put Williamson in position to make an impact during Tampa Bay's postseason run.
Williamson's defining moment came after the Rays spent 12 innings battling to keep their season alive.
Milwaukee took a 3-2 lead in the top of the 12th inning on Cooper Pratt's home run, leaving Tampa Bay three outs away from elimination.
The Rays answered in the bottom half. Junior Caminero reached base on a throwing error, and Liam Hicks followed with a single. Jonny DeLuca then tied the game with an RBI single, and Chandler Simpson singled to load the bases.
That brought Williamson to the plate as a pinch hitter.
Manager Kevin Cash had told Williamson to get ready earlier in the inning, and the infielder was prepared when his opportunity arrived. He swung at the first pitch from Milwaukee reliever Shane Drohan and hit a ground ball that bounced into right field, allowing Fortes to score the winning run.
Williamson said afterward that he was looking for a fastball and was a little late on the pitch, but the ball found a hole.
The hit gave Tampa Bay a 4-3 victory and marked the Rays' first walk-off postseason win since Game 4 of the 2020 World Series.
What they're saying
Friend and former college teammate Joe Delossantos followed the tense extra-inning battle late into the evening.
"The house was asleep except for me. I could not do very much yelling," Delossantos said. "You stand up, and I'm talking to you guys about it and have goose bumps about it. It was a goose bumps moment."
Delossantos explained that Williamson consistently elevated everyone around him during team competitions.
"I know from personal experience that's a guy who is going to push somebody," Delossantos said. "If you can push somebody off the ceiling, there is none."
Big picture view
Williamson's game-winning hit put him in the spotlight, but his value to Tampa Bay extends beyond one at-bat.
The Rays added Williamson because of his defensive ability and the flexibility to play multiple infield positions. During the 2026 regular season, he hit .238 with three home runs, 26 RBIs and eight stolen bases, according to MLB's player statistics.
Williamson also contributed during Tampa Bay's run through the American League playoffs, including with his defense at second base.
Williamson's path to the World Series has been relatively quick. He reached Double-A in 2024, made his major league debut the following year and joined the Rays before the start of the 2026 season.
Now, he has a signature postseason moment to go with that rapid rise.
What's next
Williamson's walk-off hit bought Tampa Bay at least one more game, but the Rays still face a difficult challenge.
Milwaukee leads the best-of-seven World Series 3-1 entering Game 5 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay needs another victory to send the series back to Milwaukee for Game 6.
No team has ever come back to win the World Series after falling behind 3-0. The Rays are trying to change that history, and Williamson's hit has given them another chance.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered from Major League Baseball postseason box scores, team statistics, roster transactions and postgame press conference statements from Ben Williamson and manager Kevin Cash. It also includes information from former William & Mary head baseball coach Brian Murphy and former teammate Joe Delossantos.
