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Biggest moment of Ben Williamson’s baseball life extends Rays’ World Series chances to Game 5

How can you not be romantic about baseball? Once again, an unlikely hero delivers for the Rays in the World Series
ByHarrison Smajovits
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Ben Williamson had the moment of his life, and the Rays stayed alive
Ben Williamson had the moment of his life, and the Rays stayed alive | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There will be baseball on Wednesday night. The Tampa Bay Rays found a way. They dragged out Game 4 of the World Series against the heavyweight Milwaukee Brewers for 12 innings and walked it off, 4-3.

Ben Williamson singled home Nick Fortes with the bases loaded to ensure they lived to fight another day.

The Rays were down to their final three outs. The Brewers were that close to their first title in franchise history. Baseball was about to be over until who knows when.

At the very least, the sweep has been avoided. Everyone gets at least one more game.

For Williamson, it was the moment of his life. This will be his defining moment.

Entering the at-bat, he was 1-for-15 in the postseason. His last RBI came on Aug. 2. No better time than that very moment.

Nobody can take this moment away from him. Regardless of the outcome. He will eat for free across the Tampa Bay Area for the foreseeable future.

Historic walk-offs are becoming part of this team's DNA. In 2020, Brett Phillips had his unlikely walk-off. Evan Longoria, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the game, hit the walk-off home run in the bottom of the 12th inning, not long after midnight in Game 162.

Combine some details from both Phillips and Longoria's moments, and you have the Ben Williamson walk-off.

For those who wish to take it a step further, it emulated David Ortiz's walk-off in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS. That was also a walk-off in the bottom of the 12th inning in the dead of night. Whatever the Rays can cling to for hope, they're clutch it as hard as they can.

A little history to go along with the Rays win

The unlikely hero provided the Rays with an unlikely win.

With the win, they became just the fifth team to force a Game 5 after falling behind 3-0 in the World Series. For good measure, according to OptaSTATS, they became just the fourth team in World Series history to walk it off in the effort to avoid elimination.

They join the 1912 Red Sox and the famous 1986 Mets and 2011 Cardinals. It didn't force a Game 7 like some of the other examples, but staying alive is staying alive. On to Game 5.

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