ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Ben Williamson’s performance for the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series had been worse than modest: 0-for-7.
In the Rays’ Game 3 blowout defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, Williamson had a foul ball bounce back to strike him in the helmet just before he lost a likely extra-base hit on a circus catch by right fielder Sal Frelick.
But there Williamson was as a pinch hitter in the 12th inning on Tuesday with the Rays down 3-0 in the series and 3-2 in the game, having waited in the shadows for about five innings, manager Kevin Cash joked, with his helmet on and ready.
Williamson finally made a World Series memory on Tuesday, chopping a ball through a drawn-up infield in a bases-loaded, no-out situation to give the Rays a 4-3 win that extended the American League champions’ season.
“I had confidence in all of us, all the guys, and I think with Ben, (Milwaukee’s Shane Drohan) is a tough left-hander, really tough on left-handed hitters, and Ben is elite at making contact,” Cash said. “Right there, we’re going to give ourselves the best chance by making contact, and he was ready to go for his pitch. Give Ben credit.”
FEED ME, SEYMOUR: The Rays’ 12th-inning dramatics, set up by an error by third baseman Joey Ortiz to open the frame, allowed reliever Ian Seymour to avoid what would have been an offseason of remorse.
After allowing a go-ahead solo homer to Cooper Pratt in the top of the 12th, the left-hander has surrendered five runs on 12 hits — including four homers — in nine postseason innings. He blew a save in Game 2 of the World Series.
MAY DAY: Brewers starter Dustin May allowed two runs on three hits with three strikeouts in three-plus innings. Thirty of his 39 pitches were strikes.
May left after allowing a leadoff single to Junior Caminero in the fourth inning. Caminero moved to second on a groundout and scored when third baseman David Hamilton fielded a Jonny DeLuca grounder, missed a tag on Caminero going to third, then threw wildly to first base.
VIDEO VICTIMS: Milwaukee unsuccessfully challenged the Caminero play, contending that Hamilton made the tag even as Caminero ran onto the infield grass to avoid him.
In the ninth inning, a Pratt stolen base was overturned by replay when it was ruled that Richie Palacios tagged him on his hand protector.
“We had a couple of things not go our way in terms of calls,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said. “But I’m not saying they were wrong. I’m just saying we had a couple of things.”
HAMMERIN’ HAMILTON: Rays starter Griffin Jax was removed after allowing a game-tying leadoff homer to Hamilton in the fifth. Hamilton, Milwaukee’s No. 9 hitter, is batting .348 with two homers in the postseason after he hit .245 with four homers in the regular season.
SHUTDOWN: Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby worked a scoreless ninth, a shutout 10th and got one out in the 11th to become the all-time leader in consecutive scoreless innings (18) to open a postseason. He has three saves and a win over his nine appearances this month.
Ashby has not allowed a run in 23 consecutive innings dating back to the regular season.
GLOVE STORY: Rays players readily admitted that their defensive play had not been up to their lofty standard since the World Series began. First baseman Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson, a Gold Glove finalist in left field, had misplays in Game 2 and third baseman Caminero made a costly decision going for a forceout to cue an eight-run outburst in Game 3.
Tampa Bay’s defensive mastery returned in Game 4, particularly in the outfield, with center fielder Jonny DeLuca and Simpson both making sliding catches.
STATE LOVE: Murphy became the Brewers’ manager in 2024, but he didn’t realize until an offseason trek last year how much the team meant to the entire state of Wisconsin.
“We did this tour of stopping at different cities, staying over in Eau Claire, La Crosse, the Dells, Green Bay, Wausau, and we spoke at these theaters and met the fans and spoke,” he recalled. “Twelve hundred people show. I’m like, ‘Hey, is there a movie playing later? What do you guys show up for?’
“But they love the Brewers. We had a riot with it. It was really, really fun. I FaceTimed Sal almost every time, and I’d catch him off guard. He’d be somewhere, coming out of the shower or something, and it would be great. He’d have a towel around him. ‘Where are you at? Hey, a couple people want to say hi to you,’ and I’d turn it around.
“You realize in the state of Wisconsin, a lot of Brewers fans don’t get to come to the games all the time. To me, that’s incredible.”
WAIT CONTINUES: The Brewers, Rays, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners remain the only MLB franchises to have never won a World Series.