Let the beer flow, Milwaukee - you're home to a World Series champion.
The Milwaukee Brewers capped their most successful season in franchise history by capturing their first World Series title with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 at Tropicana Field.
Brewers closer Trevor Megill pitched the final two innings, retiring Richie Palacios to secure the championship.
The World Series victory ends the Brewers' 57-year championship drought - previously the third-longest active streak in baseball and the fifth-longest in MLB history - dating back to the franchise's inaugural season in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots.
For Milwaukee, this marks the city's first chance to celebrate a World Series champion since the Henry Aaron-led Milwaukee Braves won in 1957.
"It's the best feeling ever. All of our fans are here. I know the city's waited a long, long time for this," captain Christian Yelich said. "We're so happy to bring it home to them. I can't wait to get back there and celebrate."
Pat Murphy's Brewers won a franchise-record 103 regular-season games in 2026 and never took their foot off the gas pedal in the playoffs. Their dominant October run ended with an 11-2 record, tying the 2022 Astros and 1998 Yankees for the third-best playoff record in the wild card era. Milwaukee's only losses this postseason came in Game 3 of the NLDS at San Diego and Tuesday's 12-inning classic against the Rays.
"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."
Any thoughts of a Tampa Bay comeback in this series vanished early Wednesday. Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt opened the scoring in the second inning with an RBI single off ace Drew Rasmussen, who started Game 5 on short rest. Pratt went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the win, while World Series MVP William Contreras and David Hamilton also drove in runs.
"This is one of the greatest moments of my life. Oh my gosh. It doesn't even feel real," said Pratt, who made his MLB debut in June. "This is surreal. It only took four months."
Likely NL Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski started for the Brewers, throwing 5 2/3 innings of two-hit shutout ball before leaving with a calf cramp.
"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."
Milwaukee's long-awaited championship is the culmination of the golden era of Brewers baseball. Over their first 48 seasons, the Brewers made the playoffs just four times and reached one World Series - a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. However, since 2018, they've become consistent contenders, playing in October eight times, though this year was their first trip beyond the NLCS.
"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."
For the Rays, it's a bitter end to a dominant season that brought them back to the top of the AL just a year after Hurricane Milton forced them out of their home ballpark. The latest loss leaves Tampa Bay winless in its three World Series appearances.
"I'm crushed right now, disappointed, but it's easier to handle because of what we all meant to each other throughout the course of this season and certainly this last month in October," Cash said.
With the Brewers' win, only four active franchises now lack a World Series title: the Rays, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Seattle Mariners.
