After 44 years of waiting, decades of postseason heartbreak, the Milwaukee Brewers are finally World Series champions.
The Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays four to zero Wednesday night in Game 5 of the 2026 World Series, completing the gentleman’s sweep and winning the first championship in franchise history. The World Series win capped off a remarkable, franchise best 103-59 season for Milwaukee. The Crew then continued on to deliver one of the most dominant postseason runs in baseball history.
Originally established as the Seattle Pilots in 1969, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee in 1970. It took just over a decade for the team to reach its first World Series, when the 1982 Brewers, nicknamed “Harvey’s Wallbangers,” captured the American League pennant.
However, the 1982 World Series ended with St. Louis coming back to win it all. Despite holding a 3-2 series advantage, the Brewers lost Games 6 and 7, beginning a championship drought that lasted more than four decades. The Brewers earned their way to the National League Championship Series in 2011, losing to St. Louis, before falling one game short of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018. (RELATED: Bucks Begin New Era Without Giannis, Move Home Opener for Brewers)
Under manager Pat Murphy, the Brewers finished the regular season with a 103-59 record. Milwaukee also secured its fourth consecutive NL Central championship, becoming the first franchise to accomplish that feat since the division’s creation in 1994.
The MLB-best record would earn Milwaukee a first round bye in October, when they would open up against the San Diego Padres. They won the first two games in dramatic fashion, including the Game 2 victory being delivered by Jackson Chourio’s walk-off two-run single against San Diego closer, Mason Miller.
After dropping Game 3, the Brewers secured the series with a 3-1 victory in Game 4. Garrett Mitchell preserved Milwaukee’s lead with a game saving catch in the eighth-inning that robbed Manny Machado of a potential game-tying home run.
Milwaukee would then move on to the NLCS for back to back years, to face the all familiar Los Angeles Dodgers. The Crew swept L.A. in four games, becoming the first team in MLB history to sweep an opponent in the postseason one year after being swept by that same team. Jake Bauers earned NLCS MVP, putting together six RBIs and delivering several timely hits, including a two-run home run against Blake Snell in Game 3.
In Game 1 of the World Series at American Family Field, Christian Yelich delivered an early RBI triple, while Jacob Misiorowski went five strong. Closer Trevor Megill survived the chaotic ninth inning to secure a 3-2 Brewers victory.
After falling behind 4-0 in the first inning, the Brewers gradually erased the deficit in Game 2. Sal Frelick tied it with a sixth-inning home run, before rookie Cooper Pratt delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh.
On Monday, Jackson Chourio collected four hits, while rookie left-hander Robert Gasser allowed just one hit across six scoreless innings, the most innings by any Brewers pitcher this post season. Milwaukee exploded for eight runs in the fifth inning, with all eight coming after two outs, setting a new postseason record. The Brewers cruised to a 10-1 victory, extending their postseason winning streak to eight games.
Milwaukee would end up completing their magical run on Wednesday after dropping Game 4 on Tuesday. Manager Pat Murphy would turn to his Cy-Young favorite, Jacob Misiorowski, as the Brewers look to close the series before it has to head back to Milwaukee. (RELATED: Tiffany Calls for Mandatory ICE Cooperation as Wisconsin Sheriffs Remain Divided)
Clutch hitting from Cooper Pratt, William Contreras, and David Hamilton helped get Milwaukee past the American League’s best. The Brewers entire bullpen, headlined by Aaron Asbhy would shut down the Rays potent offense, only allowing 15 hits, on three earned runs, with 21 strikeouts across 21 innings. William Contreras was named World Series MVP, following a performance that included .381 batting average with an .864 OPS. He threw out 4 of 5 runners while anchoring this Brewers pitching staff and defense behind the plate.
The championship marks the completion of a remarkable postseason for Milwaukee, which finished 11-2 in the postseason. They become the second team in ten years from the dominant NL Central, to complete the postseason run and hoist the Commissioners trophy.
