Brewers Beat Rays 4-1 in Game 5, Win First World Series Title in Franchise History
Jacob Misiorowski worked 5 2/3 scoreless innings before leaving with a calf cramp, and catcher William Contreras was named Series MVP as Milwaukee closed out a franchise-record 103-win season with its first championship since the team moved from Seattle in 1970.
The Milwaukee Brewers won the first World Series title in franchise history on Wednesday night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field to take the best-of-seven series four games to one, according to MLB.com's official game recap.
Right-hander Jacob Misiorowski held Tampa Bay scoreless into the sixth inning before leaving with a right calf cramp, and catcher William Contreras, who drove in a run with a sixth-inning double, was named World Series MVP, Fox Sports reported. The win capped an 11-2 postseason run for a Brewers team that led the major leagues with 103 regular-season victories, a franchise record.
A Lead That Finally Held
According to the official MLB.com box score, Milwaukee scored in the second, fifth and sixth innings, building a 4-0 lead before Tampa Bay's only run crossed in the ninth. The Brewers finished with eight hits and two errors; the Rays had four hits and were charged with none. Misiorowski was credited with the win to improve to 2-0 in the series with a 1.89 ERA, while Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, pitching on three days' rest, took the loss, allowing one run on two hits over four innings, Fox Sports reported.
Misiorowski, who allowed two hits before his injury, left to a standing ovation from Brewers fans who had taken over the section behind Milwaukee's dugout for the final three games of the series, according to NBC Sports. Relievers JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and closer Trevor Megill finished the game for Milwaukee, Fox Sports reported, with Megill recording the final out.
Forty-Four Years Since the Last Pennant
The title is the first in the Brewers' 58 seasons, a franchise that began play as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before relocating to Milwaukee in 1970, NBC Sports reported. Milwaukee's only prior World Series appearance came in 1982, when the Brewers led Game 7 by three runs in the sixth inning before losing 6-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals. According to the official MLB.com World Series preview page, the Brewers and Rays entered the series as two of five franchises that had never won a championship; with Milwaukee's win, only the Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies remain without a title, according to MLB.com's recap of the clincher.
Milwaukee reached the World Series by beating the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series and sweeping the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, where first baseman Jake Bauers was named series MVP. The sweep also avenged three earlier postseason eliminations the Dodgers had inflicted on Milwaukee over the previous eight years, according to MLB.com's recap. The Rays, an expansion franchise since 1998, swept the New York Yankees in the ALDS and beat Cleveland in six games in the ALCS before falling in their third World Series appearance; they had previously lost in 2008 and 2020.
Back home, roughly 31,000 fans packed American Family Field in Milwaukee to watch Game 5 on the ballpark's video board, MLB.com reported, while thousands more Brewers fans traveled to Tropicana Field itself. The win was the city of Milwaukee's first World Series championship in any sport since the Braves won it in 1957, before that franchise relocated to Atlanta.
Records Along the Way
Several individual marks were set during the series. Outfielder Jackson Chourio finished with 11 hits over the five games, a five-game World Series record, according to NBC Sports. Rookie infielder Cooper Pratt set a World Series rookie record with hits in six consecutive plate appearances before a sacrifice fly ended the streak in the sixth inning of Game 5, NBC Sports and Fox Sports both reported; he finished Game 5 with two hits and two RBIs. Misiorowski's opening pitch of the series, a 103.5 mph fastball thrown in Game 1, set a World Series velocity record, Fox Sports reported.
The comeback that forced a fifth game came one night earlier, when the Rays rallied in extra innings to stay alive after Milwaukee had been three outs from clinching in Game 4.
"I can't tell you how many people have told me, 'I've waited my whole life for this.' ... I think any time you win a World Series, it changes a place a little bit." — Christian Yelich, quoted by MLB.com
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told the Tropicana Field crowd, "Milwaukee has waited 44 years, and Milwaukee, you have your world championship," according to Fox Sports. Manager Pat Murphy credited the team's unselfishness, saying players had cared about "coming together and winning," Fox Sports reported.
What's Next
Milwaukee's championship arrives amid uncertainty for the sport's near-term future: Fox Sports reported that a management lockout could begin Dec. 2 and potentially threaten the start of the 2027 season, meaning Wednesday's game may be MLB's last for an extended stretch. For now, the Brewers — widely described in coverage as representing the smallest market in the majors — are planning a championship celebration in Milwaukee, with NBC Sports' recap closing on the city's expected party mood.
