Milwaukee Brewers win first World Series, ending 57-year wait

The Milwaukee Brewers' long wait for a championship ended Wednesday with a 4-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The win gave Milwaukee its first World Series title in the franchise's 57-season history. Closer Trevor Megill got the final out on a soft ground ball, and the team poured from the dugout onto the field.

Shortstop Cooper Pratt described the moment afterward on Fox. "This is one of the greatest moments of my life," Pratt said. "Oh my gosh. It doesn't even feel real. This is surreal." The franchise had not reached the World Series since 1970, when the club moved from Seattle to Milwaukee and began play under its current name. Milwaukee's first Fall Classic appearance came in 1982, a seven-game loss, and the team then waited 44 years for another chance.

Milwaukee finished the postseason 12-2, a .857 winning rate that trails only the 1999 New York Yankees and 2005 Chicago White Sox, who each went 11-1. The Brewers own MLB's smallest market and ranked 19th in payroll among 30 teams. They trailed in nine of their 12 postseason games. Milwaukee's 103 regular-season wins set a franchise record and led MLB. The Rays entered the series having won the most games in the American League.

Jacob Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the clincher. "I don't even have words," Misiorowski told Fox. Tampa Bay got on the board in the ninth when Chandler Simpson's two-out double scored Liam Hicks to make it 4-1. With Aaron Ashby ready in the bullpen, a grounder ended the game. William Contreras took World Series MVP honors after driving in four runs and hitting .381. "I don't have words to say," Contreras said through a translator. Captain Christian Yelich, who is 34, added on the broadcast, "Best feeling ever."

The Rays' run came in the bottom of the ninth. Milwaukee had built its lead with singles, a sacrifice fly and a double in Game 5. The Brewers hit seven home runs in their NLCS sweep of the Dodgers, then took a 3-0 series lead over Tampa Bay with one homer. Milwaukee also beat San Diego in the divisional round before facing Los Angeles. The Dodgers' payroll was more than double Milwaukee's, and the Brewers outscored them by 10 runs in the sweep.

Yelich and 33-year-old reliever Brandon Woodruff were the only players left from the 2018 Brewers roster that came within one win of a World Series berth. Woodruff's Game 3 save was his first appearance since July 4 while he recovered from injuries. Jackson Chourio, 20, hit a two-run homer in the divisional round opener against San Diego and a walk-off single the next day. Misiorowski, 24, reached the All-Star Game as a rookie in 2025 after five starts, then led a staff whose 2026 ERA was second-lowest in MLB.

Tampa Bay's season ended one win short of its first World Series title. Milwaukee's championship run followed one-run victories in Games 1 and 2, including a Game 2 comeback from 4-0 down after the first inning. Game 3 went 10-1 after Yelich was ruled safe at second on a challenge, and Milwaukee scored eight runs with two outs. Game 4 is not detailed in these records. Megill, who recorded the final out, spoke after the game: "This is just incredible. Ten-year-old me would be so proud." Milwaukee finished atop the standings when the regular season ended and remained there when the playoffs closed.