The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The victory gave Milwaukee its first championship in franchise history, 57 years after the franchise began. The Brewers finished the postseason 11-2.
Milwaukee reached the title after winning 103 regular-season games, the most in Major League Baseball for a second consecutive year. The Brewers defeated the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series before facing Tampa Bay. The championship ended a postseason run in which Milwaukee was regularly viewed as an underdog.
Misiorowski sets the tone
Jacob Misiorowski gave Milwaukee a strong start in the clincher, pitching five scoreless innings and recording two strikeouts. He allowed four baserunners before leaving because of a right calf cramp with two outs in the sixth inning. JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill completed the game for Milwaukee.
Cooper Pratt drove in the first run with a single off Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen in the second inning. Pratt added another single in the fifth and scored on David Hamilton’s single. William Contreras doubled and Pratt delivered a sacrifice fly during Milwaukee’s two-run sixth inning.
Tampa Bay scored on Chandler Simpson’s double with two outs, but Megill finished the game after Richie Palacios hit a slow roller to second baseman Brice Turang. The final play secured Milwaukee’s first World Series championship. The Brewers held Tampa Bay to a .182 batting average during the World Series.
Pratt and Contreras make history
Pratt recorded a hit in six consecutive World Series at-bats and became the second rookie with seven RBIs in the final round. His performance added to a championship series in which he drove in the opening run of Game 5. Pratt said, “Man, this is awesome. How fun is this?”
Contreras won the World Series MVP award after posting an .863 OPS, throwing out three would-be base stealers and going 10-for-13 in ABS challenges. He also contributed the double during Milwaukee’s decisive sixth inning. “I do not want to offend any of the other catchers in the league; the last thing I want to do is offend any of them,” Contreras said. “But sitting up here today, champion of the world, I feel like I’m the best catcher in the league.”
Aaron Ashby pitched 18 consecutive scoreless innings, establishing a record for a reliever in a single postseason. Jackson Chourio recorded 10 hits in the first four World Series games, tying a mark set by Babe Ruth. Those accomplishments joined Contreras’ MVP performance and Pratt’s production as notable parts of Milwaukee’s championship run.
A breakthrough for Milwaukee
The Brewers had reached the playoffs seven times in the previous eight years before breaking through in 2026. They also reached the National League Championship Series in 2018 and 2025. Manager Pat Murphy and front office leader Matt Arnold helped guide the team through its title season.
“You say they’ve been waiting so long, that’s one thing — but it’s more about their undying commitment to this team,” Murphy said. “It started growing and growing throughout the year, grew last year, and then you see what it means to them. It’s not just the city of Milwaukee. It’s the whole state of Wisconsin. I hope they’re proud. I hope they’re proud of these guys. I hope they realize how special this group is.”
Mark Attanasio called the championship scene “unbelievable.” The title also gave Milwaukee a defining result after its recent playoff appearances and two National League Championship Series trips. “A lot of heart, man,” Arnold said. “Everything that we do in this era is something that we measure, but you can’t measure the heart of this team.”
FSB Take
Milwaukee’s first championship was built on contributions across the roster and organization. Misiorowski set the tone in Game 5, Pratt supplied timely offense, Contreras earned MVP honors and the bullpen protected the lead through the final out. The title validates the Brewers’ sustained postseason presence with the franchise’s first World Series championship.
Source: Original report