The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to win their first World Series championship in franchise history. The clinching victory came at Tropicana Field in Tampa, ending a title drought that stretched across the franchise's entire 57-year existence in Milwaukee.
Young ace Jacob Misiorowski was the winning pitcher, throwing 5⅔ scoreless innings on two hits before departing with a right calf cramp. He received a standing ovation from thousands of Brewers fans who had filled the section behind Milwaukee's dugout for the final three games of the series. Misiorowski finished the series with a 2-0 record and 0.84 ERA, earning recognition as the National League Cy Young Award favorite.
Rookie Cooper Pratt, who made his major league debut in June, recorded two additional hits and two RBIs in Game 5. The 22-year-old set a World Series rookie record with six consecutive hits before recording a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Jackson Chourio set a five-game World Series record with 11 total hits in the series. World Series MVP William Contreras, the Brewers' catcher, drove in a run with an RBI double.
The Brewers' championship represents a historic achievement for baseball's smallest market. The franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and relocated to Milwaukee in 1970. The team's only previous World Series appearance came in 1982, when they lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games after blowing a 3-1 lead in Game 7.
Manager Pat Murphy, 67, has led the Brewers to sustained success following his arrival as a manager. Murphy, who survived a heart attack in 2020, was named National League Manager of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. The Brewers dominated the regular season with the best record in Major League Baseball before sweeping the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
The Tampa Bay Rays, also an expansion franchise seeking their first championship, mounted a comeback effort after falling behind 3-0 in the series. They avoided a sweep with a dramatic 4-3 victory in 12 innings in Game 4 on Tuesday before succumbing in Game 5. Like the Brewers, the Rays have never won a World Series title in their franchise history.
Captain Christian Yelich expressed the significance of the victory for the city and franchise. "It's the best feeling ever. All of our fans are here. I know the city's waited a long, long time for this," Yelich said. "We're so happy to bring it home to them." The Brewers' victory triggered celebrations among thousands of fans in attendance, who remained in the stadium chanting "Let's go Brewers!" nearly two hours after the final pitch.
