Brewers end 44-year title drought with 4-1 victory over Rays

Jacob Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings Wednesday night, leading the Milwaukee Brewers to a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The victory in Game 5 of the World Series marked the franchise's first championship in 58 seasons. The win concludes a 44-year wait for a title since the team's 1982 run that ended in a Game 7 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Brewers, the smallest market in Major League Baseball, finished the series with a 3-2 record. They had been three outs away from a sweep in Game 4 when the bullpen faltered in the 12th inning. This season, the team led the major leagues with 103 regular-season wins and compiled an 11-2 record in the postseason. That record included a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

Cooper Pratt, a rookie who made his major league debut in June, recorded two hits and two runs batted in during the clinching game. He set a single-Series rookie record with six consecutive hits before a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Jackson Chourio set a five-game Series record with 11 total hits. World Series MVP William Contreras hit a double that drove in a run in the sixth inning.

Misiorowski, 22, allowed only two hits before leaving the game due to a right calf cramp. He threw 86 pitches, 58 of which were strikes, and topped out at 103 mph twice. He opened the game with 12 consecutive four-seam fastballs between 100.9 and 103 mph. The right-hander finished with two strikeouts, matching his career low for a start.

Manager Pat Murphy, 67, guided the team to the title after surviving a heart attack in 2020. He won the National League Manager of the Year award in both 2024 and 2025. Murphy stated that the 2026 roster would be remembered forever because players prioritized collective success over individual statistics. Captain Christian Yelich said the city waited a long time for this moment and that the team was happy to bring the championship home.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash noted that his team was hurt but grateful for how they carried themselves during the season. The Rays dropped to 0-3 in their history of World Series appearances. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only the Brooklyn Dodgers and Detroit Tigers have lost more of their first three Series appearances. The Rays had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth inning but failed to capitalize on the opportunity.

The two teams combined for just four home runs during the entire World Series. Milwaukee accounted for three of those, while Tampa Bay hit one. The Brewers scored a major league low 32.1% of their runs on home runs, while the Rays were second lowest at 34.4%. This low reliance on power hitting stands in contrast to current league discussions about salary caps and the viability of small-market teams.

Owners are pushing for a salary cap, arguing that small-market teams cannot regularly succeed without it. A management lockout is likely to begin on December 2 and could threaten the 2027 season. This was the first World Series since 1991 to feature two teams from the bottom half of the payroll rankings. Milwaukee ranked 19th and Tampa Bay ranked 25th as of August 31. The Brewers' only other Major League Baseball championship came in 1957 with the Atlanta Braves, who moved from Milwaukee in 1966.