Brewers Win the 2026 World Series: Milwaukee's First Title in 57 Years
A 103-win team with the 19th-highest payroll in baseball finished the job in five games, and a Game 4 walk-off was all that kept Milwaukee from a sweep.
The Milwaukee Brewers are world champions. They beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field to take the 2026 World Series in five games and win the first title in the franchise's 57-year history.
How Game 5 Played Out
Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt drove in the game's first run with a second-inning single off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen, who was pitching on three days' rest. Pratt singled again in the fifth and scored on a David Hamilton single. In the sixth, William Contreras doubled and Pratt added a sacrifice fly to stretch the lead.
Jacob Misiorowski threw five scoreless innings before leaving in the sixth with a right calf cramp. The bullpen took it from there: JoJo Romero, Abner Uribe and then Trevor Megill, who got the last six outs. He finished it by jamming Richie Palacios with a 99.1 mph fastball, and Palacios rolled a slow grounder to second baseman Brice Turang.
Tampa Bay's only run came in the ninth, when Chandler Simpson doubled with two outs to bring home Liam Hicks.
Contreras Is World Series MVP
Contreras was named MVP after hitting .381 in the series. He also threw out three would-be base stealers and went 10-for-13 on ABS challenges, a number that made the league's automated ball-strike challenge system one of the quieter stories of the Series. Milwaukee's pitching staff held Tampa Bay to a .182 batting average.
"We were relentless," manager Pat Murphy said. Owner Mark Attanasio called the win "unbelievable."
The Rays Avoided a Sweep, Briefly
Milwaukee came within one swing of a sweep. In Game 4 on October 27, Pratt homered in the 12th inning to put the Brewers ahead, but the Rays rallied and Ben Williamson hit a pinch-hit walk-off single for a 4-3 win. Tampa Bay had been trying to become the first team to come back from 3-0 down in a World Series. They did not get there.
A Title Built Without Big Spending
The Brewers won 103 games in the regular season, the most in MLB for a second straight year, and went 11-2 in the playoffs. They did it with the 19th-highest payroll in baseball and ranked 28th in home runs. They beat the San Diego Padres in the NLDS and then the two-time defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS, a team that had knocked Milwaukee out of the NLCS in both 2018 and 2025.
A few records from the Series:
- Pratt became the first player since David Ortiz in 2013 to record a hit in six straight World Series at-bats, and the second rookie with seven RBIs in a World Series.
- Jackson Chourio had 10 hits in the first four games, tying a mark set by Babe Ruth.
- Aaron Ashby set a reliever record with 18 consecutive scoreless postseason innings.
Fans who made the roughly 1,300-mile trip from Milwaukee filled the lower bowl at Tropicana Field, and Brewers legend Robin Yount was on the field to hug Christian Yelich.
What Comes Next
The celebration lands with the sport's labor situation unresolved. For what that means for next season, see our explainer on the 2026 MLB lockout. For how the Brewers got here, read our World Series preview and the profile of Jacob Misiorowski.
Follow the rest of the offseason in our MLB coverage.
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Background from Wikipedia
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central Division. The team's name alludes to the city's association with the beer industry and has been used by several other baseball teams that have called Milwaukee home. Since 2001, the Brewers have played their home games at American Family Field, which was named Miller Park through the 2020 season and has a seating capacity of 41,900 people.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 2026 World Series?
The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Tropicana Field to win the series four games to one.
Who was the 2026 World Series MVP?
Brewers catcher William Contreras was named World Series MVP. He batted .381 in the series, threw out three would-be base stealers and helped hold the Rays to a .182 team batting average.
Is this the Brewers' first World Series title?
Yes. It is the first championship in the 57-year history of the franchise.
How did the Rays avoid a sweep in Game 4?
Ben Williamson delivered a pinch-hit walk-off single in the 12th inning for a 4-3 Rays win on October 27, after Cooper Pratt's 12th-inning home run had given Milwaukee the lead.
Sources & Official Resources
Rules, schedules and statistics in this article are checked against these official sources. See our editorial policy for how we fact-check.
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