Brewers win first title in 44 years, ending Rays' run at Tropicana Field

The Milwaukee Brewers claimed their first World Series championship on Wednesday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field. The victory ended the best-of-seven series 4-1 and brought a long-awaited celebration to the smallest market in Major League Baseball. Thousands of Milwaukee fans, part of a crowd of 40,489, poured onto the field to join the players in the aftermath.

Jacob Misiorowski anchored the Brewers' pitching staff, throwing five and two-thirds scoreless innings of two-hit ball. The 24-year-old ace limited the Rays' offense, which had struggled throughout the series. Relievers JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe, and Trevor Megill finished the game, with Megill allowing only an RBI double in the ninth inning.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash acknowledged the depth of the opposing rotation. He stated that the Brewers possessed elite starting pitching and the best bullpen he had ever seen. The Rays had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth inning, but Ben Williamson grounded out to third base to end the threat.

William Contreras was named the World Series Most Valuable Player. The catcher batted .381 during the series and successfully won 10 of 13 appeals under the new Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. Cooper Pratt added two hits and two RBIs in the final game, while Jackson Chourio recorded a series record 11 hits in five games.

The Rays entered the final game after a dramatic 12th-inning comeback in Game 4. They became the fifth team in history to lose the first three games of a World Series and then lose Game 5. Tampa Bay finished the regular season with a 98-64 record and the best mark in the American League, but could not close out the postseason run.

Drew Rasmussen started for the Rays on three days of rest. He retired the first four batters before allowing a double to Brice Turang. Rasmussen lasted four innings, allowing one run and two hits. Kevin Kelly relieved him in the fifth inning and gave up consecutive singles to Pratt, Mitchell, and Hamilton.

The Rays' season was marked by resilience and recovery. The team played the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field. They returned to their home park in April 2026 and advanced by sweeping the New York Yankees and eliminating the Cleveland Guardians in the playoffs.

New owners purchased the franchise last fall and secured public assistance for a $2.36 billion stadium in Tampa, which is slated to open in 2029. The current team's success stands in contrast to the Rays' previous World Series appearances, which ended in losses in 2008 and 2020. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, only the Brooklyn Dodgers and Detroit Tigers have lost their first three World Series appearances more frequently than Tampa Bay.

Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told the crowd that Milwaukee had waited 44 years for the title. Manager Pat Murphy, who survived a heart attack in 2020, praised the team's unity and lack of focus on individual statistics. The Brewers, who led the majors with 103 wins in the regular season, finished the postseason with an 11-2 record.

Misiorowski opened the game with 12 straight four-seam fastballs between 100.9 and 103 mph. He threw 86 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. The teams combined for only four home runs in the series. The Brewers scored a major league low 32.1% of their runs on homers, while Tampa Bay was second-lowest at 34.4%.