Brewers claim first title in 58 years
Milwaukee defeated Tampa Bay 4-1 in Game 5, ending a 44-year championship drought for the city.
By Alina Campbell ·
The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions. The team beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field to secure the first title in franchise history. This victory capped a five-game series against the Rays, who dropped to 0-3 in their World Series history.
Jacob Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the win. The 22-year-old rookie allowed just two hits before leaving due to a right calf cramp. He received a standing ovation from fans in the Brew-Crew section. Misiorowski opened the game with 12 straight four-seamers, topping out at 103 mph on two pitches. He finished with 86 pitches and 58 strikes, recording two strikeouts.
Cooper Pratt, a rookie who debuted in June, provided the offensive spark. He set a Series record with six consecutive hits. Pratt drove in two runs, including an RBI single in the second inning that gave Milwaukee a 1-0 lead. William Contreras, the Series MVP, hit an RBI double in the sixth to extend the lead to 3-0. Pratt followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.
Manager Pat Murphy praised the group for their resilience. Murphy, who survived a heart attack in 2020, noted that the players cared more about winning than individual statistics. Christian Yelich, the team captain, said the city waited a long time for this moment. Mark Attanasio, the principal owner, addressed fans from the postgame stage, stating that Milwaukee has its world championship after a 44-year wait.
The Brewers won 103 games in the regular season, leading the majors. They went 11-2 in the postseason, including a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. The team scored only 32.1% of their runs on home runs, the lowest rate in the league. The Rays, an expansion team that began play in 1998, had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth inning but failed to score.
This championship comes amid labor disputes. Owners are pushing for a salary cap, arguing that small-market teams cannot succeed without it. A management lockout is likely to begin on December 2, potentially threatening the 2027 season. The Brewers and Rays were the first teams from the bottom half of payrolls to meet in the World Series since 1991. Milwaukee ranked 19th in payroll as of August 31, while Tampa Bay ranked 25th.
The Brewers' previous World Series appearance in 1982 ended in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The 1982 team blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7. The current squad finished what the 1982 crew could not, bringing a title to Milwaukee for the first time since the Braves won in 1957 before moving to Atlanta.
