Brewers win 4-1 to end 58-year championship drought

The Milwaukee Brewers captured their first World Series championship in franchise history on Wednesday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The victory concluded a 58-year search for a title by a team that began play as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee the following year.

Jacob Misiorowski opened the game with 12 consecutive four-seam fastballs, topping out at 103 mph twice during his 5 2/3 scoreless innings. The 24-year-old right-hander threw 86 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. He allowed two hits and recorded two strikeouts before leaving the game due to a right calf cramp. Misiorowski, the National League Cy Young Award favorite, finished the Series with a 0.84 ERA and two wins.

Rookie Cooper Pratt drove in two runs and collected two hits, setting a World Series rookie record with six consecutive hits before his sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. William Contreras, named World Series MVP, hit an RBI double in the sixth. Jackson Chourio set a five-game Series record with 11 total hits. The Brewers scored a major league-low 32.1% of their runs on home runs during the Series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Manager Pat Murphy led a team that finished the regular season with 103 wins and went 11-2 in the postseason. Murphy, 67, survived a heart attack in 2020 and won the NL Manager of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025. "This group of guys right here, the 2026 team, will be remembered forever," Murphy said. "They were a team. They're not worried about their own stats."

Captain Christian Yelich addressed the fans in the Brew-Crew section, which was taken over by Milwaukee supporters for the final three games. "It's the best feeling ever. All of our fans are here," Yelich said. "We're so happy to bring it home to them."

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio announced the championship from the postgame stage on the field. "Milwaukee has waited 44 years, and Milwaukee, you have your world championship," Attanasio said. The last Milwaukee MLB team to win a title was the Braves in 1957, before they relocated to Atlanta for the 1966 season.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash praised his squad's resilience despite the loss. "They're banged-up and hurting right now, but just grateful for the way they carried themselves all season long," Cash said. The Rays dropped to 0-3 in World Series appearances after previous defeats in 2008 and 2020. They become the fifth team to lose in Game 5 after trailing 3-0, following 21 teams that were swept in similar situations.

The Brewers led the majors with 103 regular-season wins and swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. This was the first World Series since 1991 featuring two teams from the bottom half of the payroll rankings, with Milwaukee ranked 19th and Tampa Bay 25th as of August 31. A likely management lockout is expected to start December 2, potentially threatening the 2027 season.