ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Milwaukee Brewers captured their first World Series championship Wednesday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field to claim the series four games to one.
Behind scoreless pitching from starter Jacob Misiorowski and a resilient offense that capitalized on relief pitching, Milwaukee clinched the title in front of a heavily partisan road crowd. The victory capped a dominant postseason run in which the Brewers swept the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series before dispatching the Rays in five games.
Breaking Through in Tampa Bay
Milwaukee initiated the scoring in the second inning against Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen, who was working on short rest. Brice Turang doubled with one out, and Sal Frelick was hit by a pitch. Rookie Cooper Pratt followed with an RBI single to put the Brewers on the board, though Pratt was subsequently tagged out in a rundown.
Rasmussen exited after completing four innings on 48 pitches, allowing one earned run and four strikeouts, according to SB Nation. The Brewers swiftly attacked the Rays’ bullpen in the fifth inning against reliever Kevin Kelly. Pratt and Garrett Mitchell singled before David Hamilton delivered an RBI single to widen the lead to 2-0.
Milwaukee added two more runs in the sixth inning to pull away. Christian Yelich reached base after being hit by a pitch, and catcher William Contreras followed with an RBI double off the left-field wall. Turang singled, advanced to second on a stolen base, and came home when Pratt lifted a sacrifice fly off reliever Tyler Wells, stretching the margin to 4-0.
Pitching Secures the Title
Misiorowski kept Tampa Bay’s hitters off balance, recording two strikeouts and allowing no runs over 5 2/3 innings. The young starter had to navigate multiple pauses during the game as groundskeepers repaired chunks of dirt dug up by his delivery, SB Nation reported. Misiorowski was lifted with two outs in the sixth inning after appearing uncomfortable and shaking his leg following a pitch.
Milwaukee’s bullpen stepped in to protect the lead. JoJo Romero recorded the final out of the sixth, Abner Uribe worked through the seventh, and Trevor Megill took over for the final two frames. The Rays mounted a ninth-inning threat when Liam Hicks doubled and scored on a two-out double by Chandler Simpson. Megill then induced a groundout from Richie Palacios to secure the final out and ignite the celebration.
A Long-Awaited Crown
Contreras was awarded the World Series Most Valuable Player award after the game. The championship marks the first title in franchise history, ending a championship drought that spanned between 56 and 57 years, according to figures reported by Yahoo Sports and Deadline.
“Really, it was a home game,” Brewers President of Baseball Operations Matt Arnold told Yahoo Sports, pointing to the estimated 60 percent of the crowd that remained at Tropicana Field draped in Milwaukee colors for the trophy presentation.
In the locker room afterward, manager Pat Murphy invoked the memory of beloved longtime broadcaster Bob Uecker, reading an imaginary message from the late radio voice praising the roster for bringing the championship home to Wisconsin. With the 2026 title secured, the Brewers now prepare for an offseason of celebration as baseball’s newly crowned champions.
