Milwaukee Brewers win first World Series in franchise history
The Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5, clinching the championship and ending a 57-season title drought.
Milwaukee secured its first World Series championship on Wednesday, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in the decisive Game 5 at Tropicana Field. Reliever Trevor Megill recorded the final out, completing a 12-2 postseason run that included a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
The victory gave the Brewers a franchise-record 103 regular-season wins and a .857 postseason winning percentage, second only to the 1999 Yankees and 2005 White Sox since the playoff format expanded in 1995.
"This is one of the greatest moments of my life," shortstop Cooper Pratt said on the broadcast.
"I don’t even have words," pitcher Jacob Misiorowski added after his 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the clinching game.
"Ten-year-old me would be so proud," Megill said after delivering the final out.
Milwaukee, the league’s smallest market with the 19th-highest payroll, outperformed higher-spending opponents by winning seven of nine games in which it trailed. The team’s offense produced runs through singles, a sacrifice fly and a double in the final game, while its pitching staff posted the second-lowest ERA in the league.
The Rays, who entered the series as the American League’s top-winning team, were unable to overcome the Brewers’ balanced attack. The championship marks the culmination of a season in which the Brewers led the majors in wins and captured the NL Central title.