Brewers end 58-year title drought with 4-1 victory in Game 5

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Wednesday night to win the World Series, securing the first championship in franchise history after 58 seasons.

Jacob Misiorowski, the 22-year-old right-hander, pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing only two hits. He left the game due to a right calf cramp and received a standing ovation from fans in the section behind the dugout. The team's resilience was evident as they rebounded from a 4-3 extra-inning loss in Game 4, where they had been three outs away from a sweep.

The franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee in 1970. Their only previous World Series appearance in 1982 ended in a 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals after they blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7. Manager Pat Murphy, who survived a heart attack in 2020 and won the National League Manager of the Year award in 2024 and 2025, led the team to this victory.

Rookie Cooper Pratt set a Series record with six consecutive hits and recorded two RBIs. Jackson Chourio also set a five-game Series record with 11 hits. Misiorowski threw his longest outing since September 8, topping 103 mph twice among 86 pitches, 58 of which were strikes. He opened with 12 consecutive four-seam fastballs between 100.9 and 103 mph.

The bullpen sealed the win with JoJo Romero and Abner Uribe recording two outs each. Closer Trevor Megill pitched the final two innings, allowing one run on a double to Chandler Simpson in the ninth. Megill retired Richie Palacios on a grounder to second base to end the game.

The Brewers led the major leagues with 103 wins in the regular season and posted an 11-2 record in the postseason, including a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. The team scored a major league-low 32.1% of its runs on home runs, while Tampa Bay was second-lowest at 34.4%, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Rays, an expansion team that debuted in 1998, dropped to 0-3 in World Series history after losses in 2008 and 2020. Only the Brooklyn Dodgers and Detroit Tigers have lost their first three Series appearances, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Tampa Bay became the fifth team to fall behind 3-0 and lose in Game 5.

This was the first World Series since 1991 to feature teams in the bottom half of payrolls. The Brewers ranked 19th in payroll as of August 31, and the Rays ranked 25th. The victory occurred amid labor tensions, with a management lockout expected to begin December 2 that could threaten the 2027 season. Owners have pushed for a salary cap, arguing that small-market teams struggle to succeed without it.

Milwaukee’s last MLB championship was won by the Braves in 1957 before the team moved to Atlanta. The 1982 Brewers, known as the Wall of Sound, featured five Hall of Famers but missed key player Rollie Fingers due to a forearm injury. The 2026 team finished its run with a parade planned for the city, capping a season defined by small-ball strategy and high-effort pitching.