Brewers clinch first World Series title
‘SURREAL’: Twenty-two-year-old Cooper Pratt, who made his MLB debut in June, set a Series rookie record with six straight hits before a sacrifice fly in the sixth
AP, ST PETERSBURG, Florida
The small-ball Milwaukee Brewers, playing in the smallest market in the majors, on Wednesday night became World Series champions for the first time.
Young ace Jacob Misiorowski threw 5-2/3 scoreless innings and rookie Cooper Pratt had two more hits and two RBIs as Milwaukee beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to set off a long-awaited celebration among thousands of Brewers fans in attendance at Tropicana Field.
“It’s the best feeling ever. All of our fans are here. I know the city’s waited a long, long time for this,” said captain Christian Yelich, who got hugs from franchise icon Robin Yount on the field when it was over. “We’re so happy to bring it home to them.”
The Milwaukee Brewers’ William Contreras, center, lifts the Willie Mays World Series Most Valuable Player Award during the trophy presentation alongside teammates after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 to win Game 5 of the World Series and the championship title at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday.
Photo: AFP
World Series Most Valuable Player William Contreras hit an RBI double and Misiorowski allowed just two hits before leaving the game because of a right calf cramp. He got a standing ovation from the Brew Crew fans, who took over the section behind Milwaukee’s dugout for the last three games.
They filled the entire infield section of the ballpark for the trophy presentation and were still chanting “Let’s go Brewers” almost two hours after the final pitch.
The 22-year-old Pratt set a Series rookie record with six straight hits before his sacrifice fly in the sixth. Jackson Chourio set a five-game Series record with 11 hits.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski celebrates a strikeout during Game 5 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday.
Photo: EPA
“This is one of the greatest moments of my life. Oh my gosh. It doesn’t even feel real,” said Pratt, who made his major league debut in June. “This is surreal. It only took four months.”
The championship comes in the 58th season for a franchise that began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee the following year. The Brewers’ only previous trip to the World Series in 1982 ended in heartbreak when they blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7 and lost 6-3 to the St Louis Cardinals.
However, this team displayed the toughness and resilience of 67-year-old manager Pat Murphy, who survived a heart attack in 2020 and was the National League Manager of the Year in his first two full seasons at the helm in 2024 and last year.
The Milwaukee Brewers’ Cooper Pratt hits a single in Game 5 of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday.
Photo: AFP
“This group of guys right here, the 2026 team, will be remembered forever — and they deserve that because they were a team,” Murphy said. “They’re not worried about their own stats. No one cares about that. They care about coming together and winning tonight.”
With their flame-throwing, 24-year-old two-time All-Star on the mound, the Brewers rebounded from a heartbreaking, 4-3 extra-inning loss in Game 4 when they were three outs from a sweep in the 12th before a stellar bullpen finally faltered.
Pitching on four days’ rest for only the fifth time in 34 starts this year, The Miz had his longest outing since throwing 6-1/3 innings against the Cubs on Sept. 8. Leg cramps also forced him out of two outings earlier in the season.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy stands with the team during the trophy presentation after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays to win the World Series at Tropicana Field in St Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday.
Photo: AFP
“I don’t even have words,” Misiorowski said. “It’s amazing, just watching my guys celebrate. And the city — I know they’re going crazy in Milwaukee. It’s awesome.”
Misiorowski, who broke the World Series velocity record with a 103.5mph (166.57kph) fastball on the first pitch on Friday, opened with 12 straight four-seamers between 100.9mph and 103mph. He topped out at 103mph twice among his 86 pitches, 58 strikes.
The 2.01m right-hander did not record a strikeout in the first three innings for the first time in his two-year career and finished with two, matching his career low.
The National League Cy Young Award favorite allowed one run over five innings to get his first post-season win as a starter in a 3-2 victory in the opener. He was 2-0 with a 0.84ERA in the best-of-seven Series.
The teams combined for just four home runs in the Series, three by Milwaukee. The Brewers scored a major league-low 32.1 percent of their runs on homers this season and Tampa Bay was second-lowest at 34.4 percent, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
The Brewers led the majors with 103 wins in the regular season and went 11-2 in the post-season, including seven comeback wins and a sweep of the mighty Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
“That’s the best team I’ve ever played against,” Rays ace Drew Rasmussen said.
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