Brewers' Joey Ortiz Gives Blunt Reflection on Costly Error

The Brewers were felled by a crucial error in Game 4.

Oct 27, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Joey Ortiz (3) throws to first for an out against the Tampa Bay Rays during the ninth inning in game four of the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Milwaukee Brewers came to within three outs of winning their first ever World Series title and sweeping the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 4 on Tuesday night. However, a costly error to start the bottom of the 12th inning ultimately opened the door for a Rays rally, and Tampa Bay won 4-3 to force Game 5.

The error in question was made by Joey Ortiz, who had entered the game late as a defensive replacement but allowed Junior Caminero to reach base to start the inning, and it all ultimately led to Ben Williamson's walk-off single.

After the game, Ortiz was blunt about his error and took responsibility for the loss.

"There's no excuse. Not one at all," Ortiz said. "I should make that play every (expletive) time."

Joey Ortiz: "There’s no excuse. Not one at all. I should make that play every [bleeping] time.”

— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) October 28, 2026

Joey Ortiz takes responsibility for error

Oct 27, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero (13) slides into third base safely as Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Joey Ortiz (3) looks on during the twelfth inning in game four of the 2026 World Series at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The error ultimately proved to be costly for the Brewers as the Rays rallied to win. Milwaukee missed their chance to sweep as a result.

However, the Brewers are still in a good position with Jacob Misiorowski starting Game 5. They still 3-1 in the series and have arguably the best starting pitcher in Major League Baseball taking the mound with a chance to close out the series.

And even if they lose Game 5, they'll still have two chances to win the series at home. But Ortiz's error certainly stung in the moment. Milwaukee was a mere three outs away from making history and clinching the series before everything unraveled.

Jonny DeLuca would tie the game with a single before Chandler Simpson reached base to set Williamson up for the game-winning hit. The good thing is that Ortiz isn't hiding from what happened.

He isn't deflecting responsibility for his mistake. Instead, he's owning it and being honest about what took place. There's no doubt that the error had an impact, and a negative one at that. But at least Ortiz is being honest about it and not blaming anybody else for what happened.

Now, the Brewers will look to flush Game 4 and get back to work in Game 5 with a chance to close things out before the Rays can push the series back to Milwaukee for Game 6, and possibly even Game 7.

There is certainly time for the Brewers to regroup. With Misiorowski on the hill for the potential clincher, they are still in good shape as they look to put the series in the rearview mirror.