The Milwaukee Brewers have won the World Series for the first time in the franchise's 57-year history, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 in Florida on Wednesday to clinch the best-of-seven Fall Classic 4-1. The Brewers, whose only previous World Series appearance came in 1982, are based in Major League Baseball's smallest market and entered the 2026 season with the 19th highest payroll of its 30 teams. Despite that modest spending, the club finished the regular season with MLB's best record for the second straight year and backed it up with a dominant playoff run.
Milwaukee avenged last season's loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series by sweeping the two-time defending champions, securing a spot in the 123rd World Series. The Brewers claimed the championship with 11 wins from 13 postseason games. Catcher William Contreras was named World Series Most Valuable Player, becoming the eighth catcher to win the award and the third Venezuelan.
The Brewers won the first two games in Wisconsin and the first game in Florida before the Rays, the American League's top seed, forced a Game 5. Milwaukee took control early, with a Cooper Pratt single sending Brice Turang home in the second inning and another run scoring in the fifth off a David Hamilton hit. A Contreras double and Pratt's sacrifice fly doubled the lead. Starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski departed in the sixth, and the Rays finally scored in the ninth when Chandler Simpson drove in Liam Hicks with a double.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing