Small-Market Brewers Win World Series
Milwaukee defeated Tampa Bay 4-1 on Wednesday to claim its first title in franchise history, ending a 44-year wait.
By Rafael Bailey ·
The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions.
The team from the National League's smallest market defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. The victory concluded Game 5 of the series and secured the franchise's first title in its 58th season.
Jacob Misiorowski pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings for the Brewers. He allowed two hits and struck out two batters. Misiorowski threw 86 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. He opened the game with 12 consecutive four-seam fastballs that reached speeds between 100.9 and 103 mph. The 24-year-old right-hander left the game due to a right calf cramp. He had a 0.84 earned run average during the series.
Rookie Cooper Pratt contributed two hits and two runs batted in. He set a World Series rookie record with six consecutive hits. Jackson Chourio set a five-game series record with 11 total hits. William Contreras, named the series most valuable player, hit an RBI double in the sixth inning. The Brewers scored four runs in the sixth to build a 4-0 lead. Closer Trevor Megill retired Richie Palacios on a ground ball to end the game.
The Brewers relied on contact hitting throughout the postseason. The teams combined for only four home runs in the five-game series. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Milwaukee scored 32.1% of its runs on home runs, the lowest total in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay was second lowest at 34.4%.
Manager Pat Murphy led the team to the title. The 67-year-old manager won the National League Manager of the Year award in 2024 and 2025. Murphy said the group deserved to be remembered for winning together rather than focusing on individual statistics. Owner Mark Attanasio told fans from the postgame stage that Milwaukee had waited 44 years for this championship.
The Rays are now 0-3 in their first three World Series appearances. They became the fifth team in history to lose Game 5 after falling behind 3-0. The previous two teams to lose their first three series appearances were the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Detroit Tigers.
This series featured the two teams with the 19th and 25th highest payrolls in the league. The Brewers led the majors with 103 regular season wins. A likely management lockout begins Dec. 2, which could impact the 2027 season.
