Category: Baseball

Pat Murphy is not Craig Counsell.

Counsell departed the Milwaukee Brewers for a $40 million contract down I-94 with the more celebrated Chicago Cubs. The Brewers, once again feeling less than their bigger-market rivals down I-94, looked around and decided to promote Murphy, Counsell’s college coach whose rough edges ran counter to the new-age managers he’d call his peers.

Pat Murphy is now a World Series champion.

Matt Arnold is not David Stearns.

Stearns jumped ship on the Brewers, even taking time off for his contract to expire before joining the New York Mets, who envisioned Stearns’ smarts combined with Steve Cohen’s hedge fund money to create Dodgers West. Arnold, Stearns’ top lieutenant, was summoned to replace him.

Matt Arnold is now a World Series champion.

Cooper Pratt is no Willy Adames.

Adames hit 107 homers and was a top 10 MVP finisher for the Brewers, a superstar shortstop who jumped at a $182 million free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants in 2025. Pratt was plucked out of a Mississippi high school two years earlier, agreed to sign a contract that could keep him in Milwaukee through 2034 and assumed the shortstop position in Milwaukee only in June.

Cooper Pratt is now a World Series champion.

Aaron Ashby is no Josh Hader.

Hader pitched his way to four All-Star Games as a Brewer, the franchise’s most dominant relief pitcher since Rollie Fingers was winning a Cy Young Award in 1981. But Hader would eventually command $95 million in free agency and has been replaced by a cadre of relievers over the years – with Ashby, another tall lefty, setting a postseason record with 18 consecutive scoreless innings in the most crucial of situations.

Aaron Ashby is now a World Series champion.

They all earned their championship Wednesday, Oct. 28 under the lights of Tropicana Field, a 4-1 Game 5 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, clinching the first World Series title in the Brewers’ 57-year history.

Make no mistake: This was a dominant Brewers team.

They won 114 games, including playoffs, and rampaged through October on an 11-2 heater, a run that included dethroning the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, a squad whose $338 million roster earned more than double the $144 million Milwaukee’s players earned.

Yet for years, as the Brewers contended with high-profile departures on and off the field while exiting the playoffs in the early rounds, they were defined as much by who was gone as who they had.

Such was life in a lower-revenue town, said the conventional, external wisdom. Lose elite talent, try to backfill with leftovers.

Yet these Brewers ultimately never bought into that.

Not Murphy, whose collegiate coaching chops resonated with a roster that always skewed younger, and responded strongly to his resolute culture of accountability.

Not Arnold, who toiled in the shadows of several brilliant executives before coming to Milwaukee and taking a number behind the ultimate Boy Genius, Stearns, who moved on to the Mets and their mega-bucks. But he didn’t take all the secrets and all the executive talent with him, and Arnold pushed Milwaukee from 92 to 93 to 97 to 103 wins the past four seasons, reaching heights Stearns never could.

Arnold’s administration spent a sixth-round pick on Pratt, gave him a well-above slot bonus to keep him away from Ole Miss and, three years later, signed him to a $95 million contract. This past June, he made his major league debut.

It was a leap of faith for player and franchise alike, and in Game 2, Pratt threw away the first ball he fielded, burying the Brewers in a four-run hole.

But Pratt stayed with it, like all Brewers do. He banged out six consecutive hits across Games 4 and 5, including a 12th-inning home run in Game 4 and a two-run single in Game 5. These guys learn quickly.

Arnold’s fingerprints were all over this club: A three-way trade to land indispensable catcher William Contreras, whose ABS wizardry, eight base hits and handling of a near-perfect pitching staff dominated this World Series.

Collecting NLCS MVP Jake Bauers and closer Trevor Megill off various scrap heaps and integrating them seamlessly into the mix.

To say nothing of the epic work by their international and domestic scouting departments through both regimes, a haul that netted Pratt, Ashby, Jackson Chourio (17 hits this postseason at age 22), Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell and, of course, Jacob Misiorowski.

It was a late bit of due scouting diligence just before the 2022 draft that got The Miz into the fold. And phenomenal player development and work from pitching coach Chris Hook that turned him into baseball’s most dominant force.

They have seven regulars between the ages of 22 and 28. They will hit this offseason minus the body blows so many champions suffered in recent seasons, when they employed starting pitchers in high-impact relief situations, appearances that take their toll over time.

No, it’s too soon to call this a burgeoning dynasty. Yet as Counsell does his best with the 89-win Cubs, who finished 14 games behind Milwaukee, and Stearns aims for the perfect formula with the Mets, the Brewers don’t need to dwell on who’s gone.

No need. As the song says, the gang’s all here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Gang's all here! Brewers win first World Series despite big-name defections

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Late last night (or early this morning, depending on what time zone you were watching from), the Rays managed to stave off elimination and keep themselves alive in the World Series for a Game Five. It promised to be a pitching match for the ages, with Jacob Misiorowski getting the nod for the Brewers (fresh off throwing the fastest pitch in World Series history in Game One), and Drew Rasmussen trying to be the Rays’ hero on short rest.

The Brewers went 1-2-3 in the top of the first, but Rasmussen had some awkward pitches in the mix. In the home half with two outs there was a lengthy pause in the game to re-groom the pitching mound after Misiorowski’s lunging delivery knocked literal chunks of dirt into the infield grass. Junior Caminero singled, but a third out quickly sent him right back to the bench.

Brice Turang got a one-out double for the Brewers in the top of the second, then Sal Frelick was hit by a pitch. The game paused again, this time while Frelich was checked by his team’s athletic trainers before being sent to first. Cooper Pratt singled, scoring Turang, before Pratt got caught in a rundown between first and second, ultimately getting tagged out for the second out of the inning. Gotta learn to dodge, buddy. A strikeout ended the inning. Another inning, another pause to groom the mound. Is the dirt really that soft, or does Misiorowski have the pointiest toes in the history of baseball? The Rays went down in order in the bottom of the inning.

The Brewers went 1-2-3 in the top of the third, with the final out being on a foul pop-up caught by Hicks. But after the Game Four gaffe where Hicks and Caminero couldn’t communicate and the ball dropped, Hicks simply allowed Caminero to collide with him as he caught the ball. Perhaps some communication would have helped? It was pretty messy, but hey, they got the out. In the home half, Yandy Diaz got two-out walk, but the Rays weren’t able to convert the baserunner.

Rasmussen had another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, which is exactly what Cash and the Rays were hoping for with him, though they’d want to keep a close eye on him as the innings progressed. With one out in the home half, Hicks was hit by a pitch for a free base. Then, with two outs, Chandler Simpson singled. Hicks advanced to third, and Simpson was able to get to second thanks to an error from Frelick. Despite the hustle, though, and the best scoring opportunity of the game so far, the Rays weren’t able to bring a runner home. So help me, if this is a single-run game, I’m going to lose my mind.

Rasmussen was, indeed, on a short leash, pulled after the fourth inning. That feels, perhaps, premature (which wouldn’t be unusual for Cash in the World Series), but so it goes. His final line for the game was 4.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K on 48 pitches. Kevin Kelly came in to replace him. Cooper Pratt got a one-out single. Garrett Mitchell then singled, pushing Pratt to third. David Hamilton then singled, scoring the second Brewers’ run of the night and making me wish I was a drinker. With two outs, Garrett Cleavinger replaced Kelly to get the final out of the inning. The Rays went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Things went from bad to worse in the sixth. Christian Yelich was hit by a pitch. William Contreras then doubled, bringing Yelich home. A single from Turang put runners on the corners, and that was it for Cash, heading out to get Cleavinger. Tyler Wells came in, and Turang subsequently stole second. A sac fly from Pratt brought Contreras home. Mitchell walked. Wells was pulled for Steven Matz because if there’s a shrinking chance of a next game, just use all your relievers. Matz got the final out of the inning. With two outs in the bottom of the inning, there was another long Brewers pause, this time to check on Misiorowski, who looked uncomfortable after the second out, shaking his leg. On review, it looked like he slid slightly on the mound, so perhaps all that grooming was just foreshadowing. After some consideration, he was pulled from the game. JoJo Romero came in and got the final out of the inning.

Jackson Chourio singled to get the seventh going. Jake Bauers then grounded into a double play to eliminate the baserunner. A third out ended the inning. In the home half with one out, Simpson reached thanks to a throwing error by Contreras and advanced to second. Abner Uribe came in out of the Brewers’ pen. Two pinch hitters came in for the Rays, Richie Palacios and Victor Mesa Jr., but they didn’t get on base.

Bryan Baker was the new Rays’ pitcher in the eighth, and he got the side out in order. Trevor Megill came in for the Brewers in the bottom of the inning, and he got the side out in order, though Yandy Diaz did have one nice hit, it just happened to go directly to the right fielder. Alas.

In the top of the ninth, Ian Seymour came in for the Rays and he got the Brewers out 1-2-3. The last chance for the Rays came up in the bottom of the ninth. With one out in the inning, Hicks doubled, the liner bouncing off first and confounding Bauers at first. Jonny DeLuca struck out, and it was all up to Simpson. Simpson actually came through, lacing a double down the right-field line to score Hicks. A Palacios groundout ended the inning, the game, and the World Series with the Brewers making history by winning their first-ever World Series title.

Congrats to the Brewers, and see you next season, Rays.

Final: Brewers 4, Rays 1

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The small-ball Milwaukee Brewers playing in the smallest market in the majors are World Series champions for the first time.

Hey, Milwaukee: grab a brat, raise a beer and prepare for that parade.

Young ace Jacob Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, rookie Cooper Pratt had two more hits and two RBIs, and Milwaukee beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to set off a long-awaited celebration among thousands of Brewers fans in attendance at Tropicana Field.

“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.”

World Series MVP William Contreras hit an RBI double and Misiorowski allowed just two hits before leaving the game because of a right calf cramp. He got a standing ovation from the Brew-Crew fans, who took over the section behind Milwaukee’s dugout for the last three games.

The 22-year-old Pratt set a Series rookie record with six straight hits before his sacrifice fly in the sixth. Jackson Chourio set a five-game Series record with 11 hits.

“This is one of the greatest moments of my life. Oh my gosh. It doesn’t even feel real,” said Pratt, who made his major league debut in June. “This is surreal. It only took four months!”

The championship comes in the 58th season for a franchise that began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee the following year. The Brewers’ only previous trip to the World Series in 1982 ended in heartbreak when they blew a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7 and lost 6-3 to the St. Louis Cardinals.

But this team displayed the toughness and resilience of 67-year-old manager Pat Murphy, who survived a heart attack in 2020 and was the NL Manager of the Year in his first two full seasons at the helm in 2024 and 2025.

“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.”

With their flame-throwing, 24-year-old two-time All-Star on the mound, the Brewers rebounded from a heartbreaking, 4-3 extra-inning loss in Game 4 when they were three outs from a sweep in the 12th before a stellar bullpen finally faltered.

Pitching on four days’ rest for only the fifth time in 34 starts this season, including the playoffs, The Miz had his longest outing since throwing 6 1/3 innings against the Cubs on Sept. 8. Leg cramps also forced him out of two outings earlier in the season.

“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.”

Misiorowski, who broke the World Series velocity record with a 103.5 mph fastball on the first pitch of the Series last Friday, opened with 12 straight four-seamers between 100.9-103 mph. He topped out at 103 twice among his 86 pitches, 58 strikes.

The right-hander didn’t record a strikeout in the first three innings for the first time in his two-year career and finished with two, matching his career low. He was fired up after Yandy Díaz missed a cutter to end the fifth. The Miz pumped his fist twice and punched the air walking off the mound.

The NL Cy Young Award favorite allowed one run over five innings to get his first postseason win as a starter in a 3-2 victory in the opener. He was 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA in the Series.

JoJo Romero got two outs, Abner Uribe recorded two more and closer Trevor Megill pitched the last two innings, allowing an RBI double to Chandler Simpson with two outs in the ninth.

Megill retired Richie Palacios on a grounder to second to end it, threw his arms in the air and was mobbed by teammates near the mound while Brewers fans celebrated in the stands.

“Milwaukee has waited 44 years, and Milwaukee, you have your world championship,” Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said from the postgame stage on the field.

Pratt, who was 4 for 5 with a tiebreaking solo homer in the 12th inning of Game 4, gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead with an RBI single against Rays ace Drew Rasmussen in the second. Pratt singled for his sixth straight hit in the Series in the fifth and scored on David Hamilton’s single off Kevin Kelly.

Contreras hit an RBI double off Garrett Cleavinger in the sixth and Pratt added a sac fly to make it 4-0.

Pitching on three days’ rest, Rasmussen went deeper than he did in Game 2, allowing one run and two hits in four innings. He had a 4-0 lead before he took the mound in Milwaukee on Saturday but couldn’t hold it, lasting only 3 2/3 innings as the Brewers rallied for a 5-4 victory.

Rasmussen retired his first four batters before Brice Turang lined a double to left-center. Sal Frelick was hit by a pitch and Pratt ripped an RBI single to center but was thrown out in a well-executed rundown between first and second.

The Rays had runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth but Ben Williamson grounded out. Williamson, who was 1 for 15 in the postseason before his game-winning single in the 12th inning of Game 4, started over the lefty-swinging Palacios.

Kelly replaced Rasmussen to start the fifth and allowed consecutive one-out singles to Pratt, Garrett Mitchell and Hamilton.

The teams combined to hit just four homers in the Series, three for Milwaukee. The Brewers scored a major league-low 32.1% of their runs on homers and Tampa Bay was second-lowest at 34.4%, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The Brewers led the majors with 103 wins in the regular season and went 11-2 in the postseason, including seven comeback wins and a sweep of the mighty Dodgers in the NLCS.

Milwaukee’s only other MLB championship was won in 1957 by the Braves, who moved to Atlanta for the 1966 season.

Murphy’s team finished what Harvey Kuenn’s star-studded crew couldn’t accomplish 44 years ago as the AL champions. Harvey’s Wallbangers had five Hall of Famers: Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Ted Simmons, Don Sutton and Rollie Fingers, who missed the postseason with a forearm injury. They also had Hall of Fame broadcaster Bob Uecker in the booth.

The Rays, an expansion team that debuted in 1998, dropped to 0-3 in the World Series after defeats in 2008 and 2020. The only other clubs to lose in their first three Series appearances were the Brooklyn Dodgers (0-7) and Detroit Tigers (0-4), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“They’re banged-up and hurting right now, but just grateful for the way they carried themselves all season long, winning a bunch of games. It’s as close-knit of a group as I’ve ever been around,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.

This might have been the last Major League Baseball game for an extended period.

The Brewers won the World Series at a time when owners are pushing for a salary cap from the players’ association because they maintain small-market teams can’t regularly succeed. A management lockout is likely to start Dec. 2 and could threaten the 2027 season.

This was the first Series since 1991 between teams in the bottom half of payrolls. The Brewers ranked 19th as of Aug. 31 and Rays were 25th.

The Rays were trying to become the first team to fall behind 3-0 in a World Series and force a sixth game. Of the 26 teams that lost the first three games, 21 were swept and Tampa Bay became the fifth to lose in Game 5.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Milwaukee Brewers World Series parade has been scheduled for Friday in downtown Milwaukee, Brewers officials told USA TODAY Sports after the team finished off the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5.

It will begin on Wisconsin Ave. and will wind up at the end at the lakefront – with an anticipated crowd of at least 400,000, nearly two-thirds of the city’s population.

Who knows, that estimate may be light considering these are the same fans who paid a World Series record $2,338 just to get into American Family Park in Milwaukee for Game 1 – and then bought every plane ticket possible from Milwaukee to Tampa to cheer on their beloved team at Tropicana Field.

“It's been awesome to see," Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “It's been pretty evident this month about how much the fans have gotten behind this team, the fan support that we've had at the road venues, at our home ballpark.

"People just coming up to you and telling you what the team means to them, and how awesome and how much fun and memories they've made over the years watching the Brewers.

“We don't take that lightly as a team. We understand that when we play well, it creates memories for people and makes people happy."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When is Brewers parade? Milwaukee ready to celebrate first World Series

Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.

The Milwaukee Brewers can finally cross their name off one of baseball's most frustrating lists.

Milwaukee finished off the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2026 World Series, capturing the first championship in franchise history and ending a wait that stretched back to the organization's beginnings as the Seattle Pilots in 1969. The Brewers moved to Milwaukee the following year and had previously reached the World Series only once, losing a seven-game series to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.

Before the 2026 World Series, Milwaukee was one of only five active MLB franchises that had never won a championship, a group that includes the Rays despite them now reaching the World Series three times.

Get exclusive Brewers championship books, gear

Here's a look at the MLB teams still searching for their first World Series championship.

Which MLB teams have never won a World Series?

San Diego Padres

• First season: 1969
• World Series appearances: 1984, 1998

Seattle Mariners

• First season: 1977
• World Series appearances: None

Colorado Rockies

• First season: 1993
• World Series appearances: 2007

Tampa Bay Rays

• First season: 1998
• World Series appearances: 2008, 2020, 2026

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which MLB teams have never won a World Series? Brewers come off list

Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — They wanted to roar louder Wednesday evening, but they were wiping their eyes with tears.

They wanted to clap louder, but their hands were busily taking pictures for posterity.

They wanted to call their loved ones, but all lines were busy to Wisconsin.

But, oh, the memories they’ll cherish forever, with half of the sellout crowd of 40,489 at Tropicana Field being Brewers fans to witness the most glorious day of baseball in the history of Wisconsin.

The Milwaukee Brewers are the World Series champions for the first time in their 57-year franchise history.

The Brewers, who reside in baseball’s smallest market, with a payroll dwarfed by nearly two-thirds of baseball, defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-1, winning the World Series 4 games to 1.

“This means everything to the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin," Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told USA TODAY Sports. “I mean, this has never happened. They’ve always been supportive, but now they have something to really celebrate.

“Robin Yount was a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest players of his generation, and he says his only regret was that he never won a World Series in Milwaukee. He wanted this as much as anyone, perhaps more than anyone."

Now, there are no regrets, with Yount finally being able to say he’s a World Series champion, too.

Yount was among plenty of Brewer greats on hand to celebrate with Hall of Fame teammate Paul Molitor, former MVP Ryan Braun and former home run champion Prince Fielder.

It meant everything to their devoted long-tenured employees like Tony Migliaccio, Brewers director of clubhouse operations, born and raised in Milwaukee, and the only person who has been with the franchise since its inception. He began as a 15-year-old bat boy, making $1.76 an hour, became their bullpen catcher, and then became their beloved clubhouse manager.

“This city has spent 44 years talking about the magic of ’82 when we were last in the World Series, with Hall of Famers, Cy Young winners and All-Stars," Migliaccio said. “Everyone was in love with that team. Everyone knows the history of this organization. And now, especially for all of us that have been with the organization most of our lives, this means everything.

“For those of us who have been here during the lean years, you can look back, and know how tough it was. People will never look at this franchise the same way again."

Said former Brewers catcher Bill Schroeder, and now their broadcaster, who has spent 40 years in the organization: “It’s still surreal. I can’t believe it."

Now, they’ll all board planes together Thursday, head back to Milwaukee, for a World Series parade to remember.

The parade has been scheduled Friday in downtown Milwaukee, Brewers officials said, beginning on Wisconsin Ave. and will wind up at the end at the lakefront, with an anticipated crowd of at least 400,000, nearly two-thirds of the city’s population.

Who knows, that 400,000 estimate may be light considering these are the same fans who paid a World Series record $2,338 just to get into American Family Park in Milwaukee for Game 1, and then bought every plane ticket possible from Milwaukee to Tampa to cheer on their beloved team at Tropicana Field.

“It's been awesome to see," Brewers captain Christian Yelich said. “It's been pretty evident this month about how much the fans have gotten behind this team, the fan support that we've had at the road venues, at our home ballpark. People just coming up to you and telling you what the team means to them, and how awesome and how much fun and memories they've made over the years watching the Brewers.

“We don't take that lightly as a team. We understand that when we play well, it creates memories for people and makes people happy."

You want insanity? The Brewers’ watch party back home at American Family Field, where fans can buy $15 tickets to sit with other fans and watch the Brewers’ game on the scoreboard, were being scalped for $850.

And folks didn’t hesitate buying them.

Hey, why not celebrate not only the greatest team in Brewers history, but one of the most dominant postseason teams in baseball history, at least since the divisional era in 1969?

The Brewers nearly ran the table this postseason, going 11-2, losing only one game since Oct. 6, and just five times since Labor Day, 49 days ago.

Winning the World Series, they’ll tell you, wasn’t as easy as it may have appeared. They played three one-run games in the first four games, and were only three outs away from sweeping the Rays until their 12^th-inning comeback, but the Brewers, just as they have all season, showed their resiliency.

“Sometimes the game tests you, sometimes the game makes you want to dig deep,” Yelich said. “Ad it’s all part of the journey, all part of the experience, and that’s part of our story.”

Now, that story can be shouted to the mountaintop, where the Brewers stand alone.

“This is for all of those that implemented and laid the foundation for what winning baseball looks like and what we need to do," said Matt Arnold, Brewers president of baseball operations. “They set those standards. Our guys here are unified and completely bought into what we need to do, the little things to win baseball games. There's no egos in this. Everybody's pulling on the same rope.

“And Milwaukee is huge in all this, man. They're loyal. They show up. They're loud. They care, and they wanted it just as bad as us. It’s been awesome.’’

Jacob Misiorowski, who should be the unanimous Cy Young winner, made sure that there would be no zany comebacks by the Rays this night. He completely suffocated the Rays’ lineup. In the finest postseason start of his career, he gave up just two singles in 5 2/3 shutout innings, departing only after suffering cramps in his right calf, leaving his vaunted bullpen to close out the game.

Just like that, Misiorowski will go down in history as the first pitcher since Orel Hershiser of the 1988 Dodgers to pitch the World Series clinching game and win the Cy Young award.

“He's come a long way since last year when he was a young kid with a lot of ability and a lot of natural talent,’’ Yelich said. “Anybody could see that looking at the radar gun and what he can do. He's come a long way learning himself as a pitcher, and learning how to pitch, and he's still learning in a lot of ways.

But he's matured a bit. He's gotten to know himself a lot. He's gotten confident. And he continues to get better, which is kind of crazy from stuff he's done.’’

There was 22-year-old rookie Cooper Pratt, who became the first rookie to drive in multiple runs in three consecutive World Series game. He was the the youngest player to produce a four-hit game in Game 4, and followed it up with two hits and a sacrifice fly in his first three plate appearances.

“I've been impressed with him all season," Yelich said. “Everybody was really talking about his glove, him coming up, but he can really hit. He's gotten some big hits during the season for us, and postseason obviously had a couple of big ones."

And then, there was catcher William Contreras, who put on a clinic in every phase of the game with Brewers manager Pat Murphy calling him their MVP.

“There is no one more important doing the job for us bigger than William," Murphy said. “He's been incredible. Both sides of it, catches every inning, that’s not easy. He's been incredible, plain and simple.’’

Really, the Brewers outplayed the Rays in every facet of the game. They out-hit them. They out-pitched them. They out-defended them.

“That's a really talented group,’’ said Rays ace Drew Rasmussen, who was beaten twice in the series, in Game 2 and again in Game 5. “In all honesty, they've outperformed us in all three facets of the game.

“I think they've pitched better than us. I think they've done better offensively. And I think they've played better defense than we have. It’s a really talented group. Their decision-making is off the charts.’’

And, oh, don’t forget that killer instinct.

“We're the type of team to step on teams' throats and keep going," Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell said. “We're relentless. We don't stop. Especially this time of the year, you never want to let anyone even have a sliver of chance if you don't have to let them.’’

Again and again and again.

“It makes you smile inside knowing that so many people care and they hang on this," Murphy said. “That's the whole thing about the state of Wisconsin and the city of Milwaukee. It's like these people really identify. They're hard-working people, a lot of them, and this is what they do in life. They do their job, and then they follow their sports teams…

“It's just about the Brewers, it's about the city of Milwaukee, it's about the state of Wisconsin, all coming together. We all play a role. It's wonderful to all be together."

Certainly, it could be a long winter, with a lockout that’s expected to begin Dec. 1, with an indefinite end date, but, oh, will it ever be glorious for the good folks of Wisconsin.

“I think the game's in a great spot right now,’’ Yelich said, “with a lot of people tuned in, a lot of popularity, a lot of great players out there. It would obviously be a shame if we miss time, but we'll have plenty of time this off-season to talk about it.’’

For now, the Brewers have a parade to worry about.

Follow Nightengale at X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers finally the toast of baseball

Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.

Jacob Misiorowski’s scoreless Game 5 gem in the Brewers’ 4-1 World Series-clinching win over the Rays in St. Petersburg, Fla., ended a little bit earlier than expected.

With the Brewers holding a 4-0 lead on Wednesday night, Milwaukee’s hard-throwing righty, who ended up pitching 5 ²/₃ scoreless innings, was forced to exit the game with what Milwaukee called a “right calf cramp.”

Misiorowski, who was cruising despite striking out just two batters, left the game after 86 pitches. JoJo Romero came in relief and recorded the final out in the sixth inning.

Cramp or not, Misiorowski was overjoyed when he talked with Fox’s postgame crew about Milwaukee’s fan support as the team broke its 57-year title drought.

“They’ve been nothing but support this whole year and years prior, it’s been amazing,” he said. “Dammit, I’m getting emotional. … We’ve been talking this whole week, expecting this moment — it’s amazing.”

They appeared to be about to clinch in Game 4 before suffering a tough 4-3 loss in 12 innings.

Misiorowski carried a 1.89 ERA with 16 strikeouts over 19 postseason innings. He yielded just one run over two World Series starts. The flamethrower had a 1.80 ERA in the regular season and is the favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Jacob Misiorowski left Game 5 of the World Series in the bottom of the sixth inning with a right calf cramp, the Milwaukee Brewers announced.

The Brewers ace had a trainer visit then walked off under his own power. JoJo Romero replaced him with Milwaukee leading 4-0 but the 24-year-old's night wasn't going to be lasting much longer with his pitch count near 90.

Misiorowski's line: 5 ⅔, two hits, one walk and two strikeouts. He did not give up a run on 86 pitches.

Misiorowski is likely to win the NL Cy Young award after going 16-5 with a stunning 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 30 starts in the regular season.

Jacob Misiorowski had to exit his scoreless start in the middle of an at-bat after 86 pitches due to a cramp pic.twitter.com/ISKiDGmPDD

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 29, 2026

He has had trouble with that leg before. He left three starts with right leg cramping: a June 2025 start against St. Louis with right calf and quad cramps, a May 1 start against Washington after 5 ⅓ hitless innings with a right hamstring cramp, and a May 13 start against San Diego with a right quad cramp after seven scoreless innings and 10 strikeouts. After the San Diego start, he said it was the same issue as before and he'd be fine.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jacob Misiorowski injury update after Brewers ace pulled from World Series game

Milwaukee's William Contreras wins World Series MVP with .381 average, 10 ABS overturns originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Venezuela’s flag draped around him, flashing a wide smile and filled with pride, William Contreras was willing to boast.

“I don’t want to offend any of the other catchers in the league. The last thing I want to do is offend any of them,” he said, speaking through a translator. “But sitting up here today, champion of the world, I feel like I’m the best catcher in the league. Again, that’s no disrespect to any of them. That’s the last thing I want to do. But today I feel like I’m the best catcher in the world.”

Contreras became the eighth catcher voted the World Series MVP after lifting the Milwaukee Brewers to their first World Series championship.

Leader of the small-market Brewers, the 28-year-old hit .381 while guiding his pitching staff, throwing out four attempted base stealers and winning 10 of 13 appeals in the first Series with the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. He had a run-scoring double during Milwaukee’s clinching 4-1 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

“He’s our pit bull. You don’t just walk up and pet him. There’s a chance you get nipped,” manager Pat Murphy said.

Moments after being awarded the MVP trophy, Contreras embraced his 34-year-old brother, Boston Red Sox first baseman Willson Contreras, a World Series champion with the 2016 Chicago Cubs.

“My brother is my role model. I don’t have a lot of friends. He’s my friend,” William Contreras said. “If I have something to ask somebody, I ask Willson.”

William teared up when asked about Venezuela, his home country. Contreras was on Venezuela’s team that won its first World Baseball Classic in March, though he was 0 for 13 with no RBIs.

He and teammates Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela joined Americans Alex Bregman and Luke Gregerson of the 2017 Houston Astros in winning the WBC and World Series in the same year.

“It means everything because that’s the first time Venezuela guys win the WBC and the World Series,” William Contreras said. “It’s history, history for my country. I love Venezuela. It’s my country.”

He joined Gene Tenace (1972), Johnny Bench (1976), Steve Yeager (co-winner in 1981), Darrell Porter (1982), Rick Dempsey (1983), Pat Borders (1992) and Salvador Perez (2015) as catchers to win the award.

A three-time All-Star, Contreras hit .270 with 18 homers and a career-best 94 RBIs as the Brewers won their fourth straight NL Central title.

“Think about what he’s achieved, and he’s disappointed his numbers aren’t better,” Murphy said. “He’s disappointed that he isn’t Gold Glove.”

Contreras was best at leveraging baseball’s new robot umpires, leading Major League Baseball with 185 challenges and 105 overturns during the regular season. He won 22 of 33 in the postseason.

Elsa/Getty Images

“It’s not magic,” Contreras said. “I think it’s the experience of playing every day throughout the season.”

He batted .444 with a pair of solo homers in the Division Series against San Diego, hitting a tiebreaking, seventh-inning drive in the opener and another homer in Game 3. He batted .357 with one homer and three RBIs in the Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Milwaukee had several worthy MVP candidates.

Cooper Pratt set a Series rookie record with six straight hits and tied Gil McDougald’s rookie mark from 1951 with seven RBIs, including go-ahead hits in the final three games. Jackson Chourio was 11 for 24 (.458), the most hits by a player in a five-game World Series. Ace Jacob Misiorowski was 2-0 and allowed one run in 10 2/3 innings, and reliever Aaron Ashby pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings with a save and nine strikeouts.

“I told him before the game: You will be the MVP of the World Series,” Murphy said of Contreras. “People recognized what that kid did for us. There was no doubt in my mind. Yeah, he’s special.”

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Yandy Díaz kept flexing his left knee between pitches. Then he drew a walk and kept going.

The Rays' leadoff hitter appeared to twist the knee during his at-bat in the third inning of Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday night. He stepped out once, with Rays manager Kevin Cash and trainer Joe Benge coming out to look at him, and again flexing his knee as he went to get a new bat. He finished the at-bat and took first base.

There, he called time again and a trainer came out. Díaz stayed in, but he limped into third on a fly ball and walked slowly off the field.

"I hope he is OK," Rays manager Kevin Cash said in an in-game interview on FOX. "We need his bat in there."

Tampa Bay trails the series 3-1 and trailed in the game 1-0 at the time of Diaz’s injury.  No team has forced a Game 6 after falling behind 3-0 in the World Series. The Rays are already playing with Junior Caminero on a sore left foot from Game 4, and now their 35-year-old designated hitter is hurting too.

Díaz has dealt with this knee before. He left an August 2022 game against the Kansas City Royals with left knee soreness, and an August 2024 game against the San Diego Padres with left knee patellar tendinitis.

“We need the bat to stay in. He’ll get some treatment. Good thing he’s a DH.”

Kevin Cash provides an update on Yandy Díaz to @Ken_Rosenthalpic.twitter.com/8AuI9iXbr2

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 29, 2026

He hit .293 in the regular season. He and Steven Matz are the only Rays who had played in a World Series before this one, and Díaz did it with Tampa Bay in 2020. He had three hits in the Rays' Game 5 win over Cleveland in the ALCS. In this series, he had two hits in Game 3, then a hit and a walk in Game 4.

Diaz is one of the most reliable bats in the Rays lineup. He hit .293 this season, third best in the American League, with 22 home runs and 85 RBIs, and he led the AL with 180 hits on his way to a second All-Star selection.

If the knee forces him out, Cash doesn’t have much to work with. He already said Tuesday that the bench was thin. Cedric Mullins, Nick Fortes and Jorge Mateo have combined for seven plate appearances through the first seven games. Victor Mesa, Jr. and Mullins are the left-handed options. Mateo and Fortes the right-handed onese. Richie Palacios is another left. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rays' Yandy Diaz stays in World Series game after injury delay

The Los Angeles Dodgers fell a series shy of the World Series, and now they could be without one of their top acquisitions from this season.

According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Chicago White Sox are listed as a top candidate to land Tarik Skubal during free agency.

Barring a potential lockout on Dec. 1, Skubal is decorated as the top free agent this offseason.

The two-time CY Young Award winner made his way to Los Angeles during the trade deadline last July and was as good as advertised, pitching in 10 games with a 5-2 record, 2.61 ERA, while having a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 70-13.

The Dodgers have never been shy about shelling out money towards big-ticket free agents in the past and would certainly have to give Skubal a high figure to remain in Los Angeles, as Bowden believes he will receive a deal that will make him the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history (in terms of AAV and guaranteed dollars.)

Bowden wrote that Skubal will likely receive a contract that will pay him around $350-$500 million, and have an annual salary that compares to Shohei Ohtani’s ($70 million AAV before deferrals) and Zach Wheeler ($42 million AAV).

Two years removed from having a record-breaking losing season where they went 41-121, the White Sox spent that time prior to the 2026 season moving off any high-end contracts that they had.

Last season, Chicago was one of the biggest surprises in baseball, when they turned their franchise around by finishing second in the American League Central with an 84-78 record that earned them a wild-card spot, which was followed by them sweeping the Astros.

The current White Sox regime has not been shy to make a splash in free agency, as they signed Munetaka Murakami to a 2-year $34 million deal last year.

As Chicago bolsters a pitching staff that features young core led by Sean Burke (3.34 ERA) and Grant Taylor (2.25 ERA), Skubal could be the right man to lead the White Sox starting rotation.

Despite Bowden’s belief that Chicago has the funds to pull off a Skubal signing, in an exclusive with The California Post, Dodgers owner Mark Walter told Jack Harris that he plans to continue handing out top-dollar contracts to free agents.

After an extra innings thriller won by the Rays Tuesday night, it’s game 5 of the World Series as the Brewers will try again to lock down a championship with Jacob Misiorowski on the mound. Rays starter will be Drew Rasmussen. First pitch set for 7pm central time and the game broadcast will be handled by Fox.

The Rays avoided a sweep last night with an extra-inning, comeback win over the Brewers in Game 4. They were just the fifth team ever to win a Game 4 among the 25 teams that were down 3-0 in the World Series. Not a single one of those teams won Game 5. Either they will make history tonight, or the Brewers will make history by winning their first ever title!

The Brewers start ace Jacob Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80 ERA) of Grain Valley, the likely National League Cy Young winner this year.

Prepare for battle

📺: FOX
📻: WTMJ#WinOurWaypic.twitter.com/KoozZ6jIT6

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 28, 2026

The Rays will go with former Brewers pitcher Drew Rasmussen (16-5, 2.67 ERA), who will pitch on short rest for the first time in his career. Richie Palacios goes to the bench in favor of Ben Williamson.

Keep moving

👀: FOX / FOX ONE
👂: 95.7 WDAE#ForTampaBay | #WorldSeriespic.twitter.com/AdB7EhTkgs

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 28, 2026

The game airs on FOX at 7pm CT. Who ya got?