Brewers capture first title, beating Rays 4-1

The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions.

Milwaukee defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field. The victory concluded a series in which the Rays trailed 3-0 after the first three games. The Brewers finished with a record of 103 wins in the regular season and went 11-2 in the postseason.

Jacob Misiorowski started for Milwaukee and threw 5 2/3 innings without allowing a run. He recorded 58 strikes on 86 pitches. His fastball topped out at 103 mph twice. He left the game due to a right calf cramp. The Brewers bullpen closed the game. JoJo Romero and Abner Uribe recorded two outs each. Trevor Megill pitched the final two innings. He allowed an RBI double to Chandler Simpson with two outs in the ninth before striking out Richie Palacios to end the game.

Cooper Pratt set a Series rookie record with six consecutive hits. He recorded two RBIs and two hits in the final game. Jackson Chourio set a five-game Series record with 11 hits. William Contreras hit an RBI double in the sixth inning. Contreras was named World Series MVP. He allowed just two hits over his outing. Christian Yelich, the team captain, said the city waited a long time for this moment. Manager Pat Murphy, who is 67 years old, called the group a team that cared about winning rather than individual stats.

The franchise began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee the following year. This is the team's first title in its 58th season. The Brewers previously lost the 1982 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals after blowing a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7. Owner Mark Attanasio told fans from the postgame stage that Milwaukee has its world championship after waiting 44 years.

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said the Rays are hurting but grateful for the way the team carried itself. The Rays dropped to 0-3 in the World Series. They join the Brooklyn Dodgers and Detroit Tigers as the only clubs to lose their first three Series appearances. The Brewers led the majors with a payroll that ranked 19th as of August 31. The Rays ranked 25th. This was the first Series since 1991 between two teams in the bottom half of payrolls.

The teams hit only four home runs combined during the series. The Brewers scored 32.1% of their runs on home runs, the lowest rate in the majors. Tampa Bay was second-lowest at 34.4%. A management lockout is likely to start on December 2 and could threaten the 2027 season. Owners are pushing for a salary cap to help small-market teams compete.