Brewers Win World Series, Beating Rays 4-1 in Game 5
The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions for the first time in their history after beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4–1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night (28 October), clinching the series 4–1. Jacob Misiorowski threw five and two-thirds scoreless innings, rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt set a World Series rookie record, and catcher William Contreras was named World Series MVP.
The victory gives Milwaukee its first World Series title since the 1957 Braves, in the Brewers’ 57th season in the city, MLB.com noted. Back home, 31,000 fans filled American Family Field to watch the game on the big screen, about 1,200 miles away from the action.
How Did the Brewers Win Game 5?
Misiorowski, the hard-throwing right-hander known as “Miz”, delivered his best start of the postseason. He allowed just two hits before a cramp in his right calf forced him out in the sixth inning. “Obviously, I don’t want to go out that way, but I left it all out there on the field,” he said, according to MLB.com.
Contreras hit an RBI double, CBS Sports reported, and Pratt tied and then broke a World Series rookie record with hits in his fifth and sixth consecutive plate appearances before adding a sacrifice fly in the sixth to make it 4–0. The Rays’ only run came in the ninth, after a Liam Hicks double struck first base and took an awkward bounce. Closer Trevor Megill then got a game-ending groundout to second baseman Brice Turang.
It was a quick response to Tuesday’s Game 4, when the Rays had kept the series alive with a 12-inning walk-off win. Our Game 4 report has the details.
How Dominant Were the 2026 Brewers?
Milwaukee won a franchise-record and Major League-best 103 regular-season games, then went 11–2 in the postseason, including seven comeback wins, according to CBS Sports. They beat the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series and swept the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had knocked them out of the postseason three times in the previous eight years, in the National League Championship Series.
Before Wednesday, five current franchises had never won the World Series: the Brewers, Mariners, Padres, Rays and Rockies. Milwaukee has now come off that list, while Tampa Bay’s wait goes on after its third World Series appearance.
What Did Murphy and Yelich Say?
Manager Pat Murphy, 67, who has been with the Brewers since 2016 and has managed them for the past three seasons, reflected on years of near-misses. “There’s so many things that led up to it now that I look back and see the years of getting eliminated or being beaten last year by the Dodgers,” he said.
Captain Christian Yelich, 34, who arrived in Milwaukee in 2018 and has been part of eight postseason berths in nine years, said: “I can’t tell you how many people have told me, ‘I’ve waited my whole life for this.'” Asked how the title felt, he said: “It’s better than you think it would be.”
What Comes Next?
With the season over, attention across Major League Baseball now turns to free agency and the award season. Murphy, a two-time defending National League Manager of the Year, has the chance to win the award for a third time next month.
New to baseball’s playoff format? Our explainer on how the MLB postseason and World Series work covers the bracket, home-field advantage and best-of-seven series, and our World Series preview looks at how both teams were built.
Featured image: American Family Field, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, by Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. File photo from 2024; image licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sources
- MLB.com — Brewers win first World Series title in franchise history (29 October 2026).
- CBS Sports — Brewers vs. Rays, World Series Game 5 box score and recap (29 October 2026).
- Baseball-Reference — 2026 World Series (29 October 2026).
