The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions for the first time in franchise history, capping a 103-win season with a Game 5 clincher.
Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, they beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 to take the series, four games to one, CNN reports. Milwaukee can finally stop counting.
The franchise began in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots and moved to Milwaukee in 1970. The wait is over.
What the Brewers championship means for you
If you root for a small-market team, this is your proof of life. Milwaukee has the smallest market in the majors and only the 19th-biggest payroll. It still won the whole thing.
This title also matters off the field. The MLB collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, and CNN notes that small-market payroll arguments, and this title, should feature in the labor fight. Expect owners and players to wave the Brewers’ trophy at each other for weeks. A lockout could delay free agency and, eventually, games.
How the Brewers closed out the Brewers World Series
Jacob Misiorowski set the tone. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball, according to ABC News. Rookie Cooper Pratt added two hits and two RBIs, and the lineup kept pressure on Tampa Bay all night.
Then closer Trevor Megill took over. He recorded a six-out save, his first of the year, per Yahoo Sports. Brice Turang threw out Richie Palacios for the final out, and the celebration was on.
Voters named William Contreras World Series MVP. The catcher went 8-for-21 (.381) with four RBI in the Series. In fact, over 13 postseason games he hit .373. For the full story on his award, read our piece on Contreras as World Series MVP.
Christian Yelich, the Brewers’ captain, summed it up on the Fox broadcast: “Best feeling ever.”
A Brewers title built the hard way
Milwaukee won an MLB-best 103 games this season, a franchise record, under manager Pat Murphy. The October run was just as dominant, because the Brewers finished the postseason 10-2. They beat San Diego, then swept the two-time reigning champion Los Angeles in the NLCS, according to NBC News.
The Series itself delivered drama early. Games 1 and 2 were one-run wins, and Game 2 included a comeback from 4-0 down. Game 3 was a 10-1 blowout with an eight-run inning, as we noted when the Brewers went one win from the title.
Then Tampa Bay won Game 4 in 12 innings on a walk-off, keeping alive the long-shot hope of a historic comeback from 3-0 down. No team has ever pulled that off in a World Series, and the Rays’ Game 5 loss means that streak survives.
For Milwaukee, the only other World Series trip was 1982, a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Owner Mark Attanasio credited the city and its fans, noting that Milwaukee has waited 44 years since that last trip.
Why this Milwaukee World Series win is bigger than baseball
So how do you beat teams with far deeper pockets? Apparently with pitching, defense and a rookie who shows up in October.
Tampa Bay’s loss stings, but the Rays are no pushovers. They won 98 games and the AL’s best record, then swept the Yankees and beat Cleveland in six. They remain one of the few franchises still waiting on a first title. Meanwhile, the new MLB champions can enjoy the view.
What happens next for the new MLB champions
Milwaukee expects to hold a victory parade. The team hasn’t announced a date yet, so watch its channels. Games 6 and 7, scheduled for October 30 and 31, are no longer needed.
Most observers see Misiorowski as the likely NL Cy Young winner, though that award isn’t official. Meanwhile, the offseason could get loud, since our look at MLB’s lockout and a possible spending spree shows how fast things can move. And once the confetti is swept up, the real question for Milwaukee is whether this win changes how baseball’s small markets think about their chances.
For one night, at least, the answer is a whole city shouting yes.
