ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Milwaukee Brewers, their bodies drenched in celebratory liquid, pieces of confetti still clinging to their hair, chugged beers, sprayed champagne, sang, danced and screamed Wednesday night into the early morning Thursday, acting as they were at a fraternity rage party.
Hey, why not?
It had been 57 years, and finally, here they were sitting atop the world, beating the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-1, and winning four of five games in the best-of-seven series.
The Brewers are your 2026 World Series champions.
Hall of Famer Robin Yount, his eyes moist, and his throat raw, was hugging everyone he could find, personally thanking them for bringing home the World Series that eluded him 44 years ago when they lost the 1982 World Series.
“I don’t want to say a weight was lifted off my shoulders,’’ he said, “but this certainly takes the sting off of Game 7 in 1982. It’s been a long time coming. A long time of wondering if it would ever happen.
“There was a lot of disappointment that we didn’t pull it off before, but I’ve always had hope that while I was still here, I would see a Brewers’ team win. They showed the world they can do it.’’
Christian Yelich, the first captain in Brewers’ history, fought back tears talking about what this moment meant for the city of Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin.
“When we got that last out, I blacked out,’’ Yelich said. “I don’t know what happened. Then, when we got on that stage, I was looking up, taking that all in. I’m seeing a stadium with all Brewers’ fans, and we’re sitting on stage that says, 'World Series champions.'
“It felt like a movie honestly. It’s been a long time coming. There’s been some good moments, some tough moments, but it’s all been worth it. I can’t wait to bring that trophy back home to Milwaukee.’’
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Brewers alumni like Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and CC Sabathia, former MVP Ryan Braun, former home run champion Prince Fielder and seven-year Brewer veteran Billy Hall, high-fived and hugged.
Former Brewers GM Doug Melvin and assistant Gord Ash, who ushered in the winning culture in Milwaukee, were giddy taking pictures with friends and family on the field, believing this day would eventually come, and praying they’d still be alive to see it.
And there was Matt Arnold, the Brewers president of baseball operations, who grew up an Oakland A’s fan, and was familiar with all of the heartache of postseason failures, saying he planned to pull an all-nighter.
Sure, why not keep partying until it was time to fly out to Milwaukee for a Friday parade that’s expected to draw 400,000 people, igniting one of the greatest celebrations in Milwaukee history?
“I wish I could keep enjoying myself,’’ Arnold said.
What do you mean?
“I’ve got work to do,’’ he said, without cracking a smile. “I’m not kidding. The offseason starts. We can’t get comfortable. I’m already thinking about what we have to do.
“Certainly, you enjoy these moments, but if you want to do this every year, you’ve got to be on your toes. We got teams that are going to want to hunt us down. If we don’t put in the work now, we won’t be back.
“And we plan to be back.’’
Brewers manager Pat Murphy even brought up ideas for next season before their Game 4 before Arnold jokingly scolded him.
“Can we get one more win, and talk about what we’re going to do next year?’’
So they waited a day.
While the celebration was happening, and champagne was stinging their eyes, the Brewers organization let the world in on a scary secret.
They’re not going away.
They plan on being back.
Again. And again. And again.
“I don’t see why not,’’ said Jacob Misiorowski, who will become the first pitcher to win a clinching World Series game and earn the Cy Young award in the same season since Orel Hershsier for the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers. “I mean, this is a lot of fun to be winning World Series championships and celebrating popping champagne. Why stop?’’
The Chicago Cubs don’t want to hear this type of talk. Neither do the St. Louis Cardinals. Cincinnati Reds. Or anyone else in the National League Central. Not Atlanta, the New York Mets, or even the powerful Los Angeles Dodgers, either.
The way the Brewers view it, they are in the infancy of a genuine dynasty.
In the words of Brewers closer Trevor Megill, “We’re not going anywhere. We’ll be back. Really, we’re just getting started.’’
Oh yeah, and he provided a little advice to those long-suffering devoted Brewers’ fans.
The next time Cubs’ fans come to Milwaukee, or the next time Brewers’ fans come to Wrigley Field, he told them, don’t hold back.
“Let everyone know in Chicago,’’ Megill said, “we got a ring now.’’
And bragging rights that could last a generation.
The Brewers not only have won as many World Series championships in the last 118 years as the Cubs, but they have completely dominated the division, winning four NL Central titles and five in the last six years.
And why it may be silly to say the Brewers can actually improve after winning an MLB-leading 103 games, with 11 more postseason victories, the truth is that they still are young, talented, have the game’s best farm system and have only one key free agent in first baseman Jake Bauers.
So why wouldn’t they make the postseason an annual get-together, with the same lofty expectations as the Dodgers or Yankees?
World Series or bust!
“You know we’re going to try to improve the team from here,’’ Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said, “which 103 wins and then 11 in the postseason is going to be pretty hard to improve on. But that’ll be the goal.’’
Attanasio, whose team earned about an extra $25 million in postseason revenue by winning the World Series, and is raking in record profits from merchandise sales, surely will see a massive boost in attendance next year. Season-ticket sales are expected to soar from this year’s total of 14,200 total, and for perhaps the first time since 2011, the Brewers could draw three million fans.
So they not only have all of their talent coming back, and a plethora of prospects from baseball’s top-ranked farm system, but they’ll have money if they wish to dip their toes into free agency, too.
Oh, maybe not Tarik Skubal money, but money to fill in a few holes.
“We’re on the right side of ages,’’ Attanasio said. “William Contreras is our [World Series] MVP. He’s 28 years, old, right? That’s peak age. [Center fielder] Garrett Mitchell is 28. Brice Turang is 26. I think most of the other guys are younger.’’
More: William Contreras named World Series MVP after leading Brewers to first title
Yes, like their soon-to-be Cy Young winner who won Game 5; Misiorowski is 24. Like their shortstop who became the first rookie in World Series history to produce six consecutive hits; Cooper Pratt is 22. Like their left fielder who tied Babe Ruth for the most hits in the first four game of the World Series; Jackson Chourio is 22. Like their reliever who had the greatest scoreless streak in postseason history; Aaron Ashby is 28.
Oh, and if their rivals aren’t envious enough, Chourio is locked up through 2033, signing an eight-year, $82 million contract. Pratt just signed an eight-year, $50.75 million contract in spring training. Outfielder Luis Lara is in the first year of a seven-year, $31 million deal.
The Cubs and everyone else are going to see these talented, young players in their nightmares for years to come.
While teams are burdened with contracts they want to shed, and aging players who no longer perform to expectations, the Brewers don’t have a single player guaranteed $100 million, with only $55.5 million left in Yelich’s original nine-year, $215 million contract.
“Those are the kind of risks I believe in,’’ Attanasio said. “I believe in business you need to take risks. You don’t take risks, you’re going to be just a middle performer in anything you do.
“We committed $160 million to those three players. Those numbers get thrown around like monopoly money, but for an ownership group like ours, which has one $200 million player, that’s a lot of capital. How we do things in the future, well see, but a lot of teams have copy-catted us now.’’
Indeed, after what the Brewers did this year, we’re going to start seeing teams starting to rely on contract, and less power. We’re going to see teams emphasize speed, and not station-to-station baseball. We’re going to see athleticism and not guys who look as if they play in their Sunday beer league.
“We’re different,’’ said Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff, the longest-tenured Brewer. “We don’t hit homers. We pitch the heck out of it. We play defense. We put pressure on teams. It’s a very refreshing way of playing baseball.’’
And who knows, maybe teams will look for a kid like Pratt, who was in high school just three years ago, and was gulping Fanta orange soda during the celebration while his teammates were dousing him with champagne and beer.
“I got to be careful drinking these,’’ Pratt said, holding up his Fanta, “I might not be able to go to sleep if I have too many.’’
Oh, don’t worry kid, the good folks of Wisconsin will do the heavy drinking for you. They’ll be toasting the arrival of a rookie who was hitting just .238 at Class AA Biloxi in 2025, and raised a whole lot of eyebrows when the Brewers signed him to his eight-year deal this spring before playing a single major-league game.
“I remember when I did it,’’ Pratt said, “and everyone was like, ‘What the heck? Who is this guy? Who the heck is this?’ I’m like, ‘Dang, guys. OK.’
“And then I came up and I started performing and everyone was like, ‘OK. Maybe he doesn’t suck.’”
Hey, when you hit .421 in the World Series, with two doubles, one homer and seven RBI, you’ve got folks wondering what you’ll do for an encore.
“I think he still thinks we’re in extended spring,’’ Woodruff said. “I don’t think he realizes we won the World Series yet.’’
No, it’s sinking in, Pratt says, “I’m a world champion. I might add that in my bio, 'world champion.’ ”
Considering he’s going to be sticking around Milwaukee for quite awhile, why settle for one?
“I’m going to be here for eight more years,’’ Pratt says. “So maybe we’ll win one or two more.”
Maybe, even create an honest-to-goodness dynasty?
“Let’s just focus on tonight,’’ Pratt said. “We’ll focus on next year, next year.’’
Fair enough, with even Yount saying, “I’ve waited 44 years for this. Let me enjoy this one for at least the next 15 minutes.
Yet, while Arnold and Murphy have told their players at the end of each of the last few seasons to remember the pain of their postseason failures, this time, they want them to savor this beautiful feeling of euphoria, making them hungry for a repeat, three-peat, or even a dynasty.
“I can see this team winning a number of years,’’ Megill said. “I hope I’m here for it too. This team means everything to me. I would love to stay here for a long as possible.’’
Considering the Brewers’ superiority, their rabid fan support, their easy travel being in the Midwest, and the chance to play for Murphy, there’ll be plenty of players who will be requesting their agents to put in calls to Milwaukee.
“Once you’re a World Series champion,’’ Attanasio said, “this is forever. I can name all of the World Series champions the last 10 years. I’m not sure I can name all of the runner-ups. Now, we’re a champion.
“People are going to look differently at us now. They can’t take this away from you.’’
Simply, the Brewers are a quiet assassin. They are never favored to win the NL Central, but blow by the Cubs each summer. They’re the ones that stopped the Dodgers’ dynasty. And now, perhaps they’re ready to start one of their own.
“They had to beat the Dodgers to get where they needed to go,’’ Yount said. “They finally beat them. They dethroned the Dodgers and took care of business themselves.’’
Yep, did they ever, sweeping the Dodgers with a payroll nearly $300 more than their own, right into the unknown of the 2027.
The Dodgers, barring the implementation of a salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement, will always have a financial advantage over the Brewers. So will the Cubs, their bitter rivals to the south. Those teams spend plenty of money on free agents, and if they make a mistake, they can cover it up. The Brewers make a big mistake, and they’re doomed for mediocrity.
“We have less margin for error that other teams,’’ Attanasio said. “We can’t afford to get one wrong.’’
These difficult financial decisions have led to the Brewers trading Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes, All-Star starter Freddy Peralta and All-Star closers Josh Hader and Devin Williams, while letting All-Star shortstop Willy Adames depart as a free agent in the past three years.
Yet, all the Brewers have done during this span is win four consecutive NL Central titles, improving their victory total each of the past four years, and earning postseason berths eight of the last nine years.
“They’ve always had challenges of trying to keep their players,’’ Melvin said, “and they’re always going to face those challenges. But maybe getting over the hump changes things.
“There’s really no reason they can’t have a run, but they’re going to have a lot of work to do because when you win, people are going to go after you.’’
So, while the partying went on through the night Wednesday, with Arnold becoming emotional when Attanasio handed him the World Series trophy, profusely thanking him late Wednesday night, Arnold excused himself. He walked out to see his family, and began wrapping his mind around 2027.
“The No. 1 goal is to win a World Series,’’ Arnold said, “but in order to get there, you have to have sustained success. We've been through this a lot, eight out of nine years, but we've had to exit the party early. We learned from those heartaches the hard way.
“Now, I want us to learn from this. Once you taste this, man, you want to be back. I don’t want to be a one-hit wonder. I would hate that.
“Look around, and you feel this, and we are going to do everything possible to be right back here next year.’’
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inside the Milwaukee Brewers' quest for a dynasty
