The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions for the first time in franchise history after beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night, closing out the Fall Classic four games to one and ending a 57-season wait.
Jacob Misiorowski delivered the defining performance of his young career, throwing five and two-thirds scoreless innings of two-hit ball before leaving with a right calf cramp to a standing ovation from the thousands of Brewers fans who had taken over the section behind Milwaukee’s dugout. Trevor Megill worked the final two innings to seal the title.
Pratt and Chourio make Series history
Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt drove in two runs and set a World Series rookie record with six consecutive hits before his sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. Jackson Chourio set a five-game Series record with 11 hits, according to reports of the game.
Pratt opened the scoring in the second inning, lining a single off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen to bring home Brice Turang. David Hamilton extended the lead to 2-0 in the fifth with an RBI single, before William Contreras doubled home Christian Yelich and then scored on Pratt’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-0 in the sixth.
Contreras named World Series MVP
Contreras was named World Series Most Valuable Player after batting .381 with four runs batted in across the five games, capping a remarkable season for the Milwaukee catcher. The Rays did not score until the ninth inning, when Chandler Simpson doubled home Liam Hicks, but Megill closed out the win.
The title comes in the franchise’s 58th season. The Brewers began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 and moved to Milwaukee the following year, and their only previous World Series trip, in 1982, ended in a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Milwaukee’s run was one of the most dominant in recent postseason history. The Brewers won a franchise-record 103 regular-season games, swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, and finished the postseason 12-2.
“This is one of the greatest moments of my life,” Pratt said after the game. “Oh my gosh. It doesn’t even feel real. This is surreal.”
