Brewers End 44-Year Drought With 4-1 Victory Over Rays

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Wednesday night to win their first World Series championship. The victory ends a 44-year wait for a title in the smallest market in Major League Baseball.

Jacob Misiorowski pitched 5 and 2-3 scoreless innings for the winning team. The 24-year-old right-hander allowed two hits before leaving the game due to a right calf cramp. He threw 86 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. Misiorowski opened the game with 12 consecutive four-seam fastballs, topping out at 103 mph on two of them.

Cooper Pratt contributed two hits and two runs batted in for Milwaukee. The rookie set a Series record with six consecutive hits before recording a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. William Contreras, named the Series Most Valuable Player, hit an RBI double to extend the lead. The Brewers took a 4-0 lead in the sixth inning before Trevor Megill allowed an RBI double to Chandler Simpson with two outs in the ninth.

Manager Pat Murphy credited the team's unity for the success. He noted that the 2026 roster prioritized collective winning over individual statistics. Murphy, who survived a heart attack in 2020, guided the team to 103 regular-season wins and an 11-2 record in the postseason. The team swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

Captain Christian Yelich said the team was happy to bring the championship to fans who had waited a long time. He expressed excitement about returning to Milwaukee for celebrations. Owner Mark Attanasio addressed the crowd from the postgame stage, telling fans they finally had their world championship.

The Rays finished with a 0-3 record in their first three World Series appearances. Tampa Bay became the fifth team in history to lose in Game 5 after falling behind 3-0. The only other clubs to lose in their first three Series appearances were the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Drew Rasmussen pitched four innings for Tampa Bay, allowing one run and two hits. He retired his first four batters before Brice Turang lined a double to left-center. Kevin Kelly entered the game in the fifth inning and allowed consecutive singles to Pratt, Garrett Mitchell, and David Hamilton.

The series featured low home run production. The teams combined for only four home runs, with Milwaukee accounting for three. The Brewers scored a major league-low 32.1% of their runs on home runs during the regular season. Tampa Bay was second-lowest at 34.4%.

The championship comes as MLB owners push for a salary cap. A management lockout is likely to start on Dec. 2 and could threaten the 2027 season. This was the first World Series since 1991 between two teams in the bottom half of payrolls. The Brewers ranked 19th in payroll as of Aug. 31, while the Rays ranked 25th.

Milwaukee’s previous World Series appearance in 1982 ended in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The team blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7. The franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee the following year.