For the first time in franchise history, the Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions. One night after the Tampa Bay Rays walked off in the 12th inning to stay alive, Milwaukee went right back to work at Tropicana Field and beat the Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to win the series four games to one. The last time the Brewers played in a World Series was 1982, when they lost to the Cardinals in seven games. This time, they finished the job.
Misiorowski Sets the Tone
After a 12-inning game that used 15 pitchers, the Brewers needed a starter to give them length, and Jacob Misiorowski delivered. He threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowed two hits and struck out two. Abner Uribe and JoJo Romero each got two outs, and Trevor Megill closed it out with two innings, striking out three. The only run Tampa Bay scored all night came in the bottom of the ninth, when Chandler Simpson drove in a run with the Rays down to their last out. Megill got the final out right after.
The Rays finished with four hits.
How Milwaukee Scored
The Brewers did not need much offense. They scored once in the second inning, once in the fifth and twice in the sixth to build a 4-0 lead. Tampa Bay started Steven Matz and then went to Drew Rasmussen, who allowed one run over four innings. Milwaukee scored its other three runs against the Rays’ bullpen.
Cooper Pratt had two more hits and drove in two runs. William Contreras doubled and drove in a run, David Hamilton added an RBI, and Brice Turang had two hits, including a double.
Who Stood Out
- William Contreras, World Series MVP: The Brewers catcher was named the MVP of the series. He doubled and drove in a run in the clincher, had three hits in the Game 3 rout and caught a pitching staff that allowed one run in the title-clinching game.
- Jacob Misiorowski: 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the clincher.
- Cooper Pratt: 2 for 4 with two RBIs, one night after going 4 for 5 with a home run. He was the best hitter in this series from start to finish.
- Trevor Megill: two innings and three strikeouts to close out the title.
- The Milwaukee bullpen: Uribe, Romero and Megill combined for 3 1/3 innings and allowed one run.
My Pick
Before the series started, I picked the Brewers in six. I was off by one game, but I had the right champion. After the Rays walked off in the 12th inning on Tuesday, I wondered if the series was about to turn. Milwaukee made sure it did not.
The Series
| Game | Date | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Fri., Oct. 23 | Milwaukee | Brewers 3, Rays 2 |
| Game 2 | Sat., Oct. 24 | Milwaukee | Brewers 5, Rays 4 |
| Game 3 | Mon., Oct. 26 | St. Petersburg | Brewers 10, Rays 1 |
| Game 4 | Tue., Oct. 27 | St. Petersburg | Rays 4, Brewers 3 (12 inn.) |
| Game 5 | Wed., Oct. 28 | St. Petersburg | Brewers 4, Rays 1 |
A Title for Milwaukee
This was a World Series that was guaranteed to crown a first-time champion, and Milwaukee is the one celebrating. The Brewers won it with pitching, timely hitting and a young core led by Cooper Pratt and Jackson Chourio. William Contreras was named World Series MVP, a fitting honor for the catcher who was behind the plate when the final out was made. Tampa Bay made them work for it, and the 12-inning win on Tuesday showed exactly why the Rays were in the World Series. But the Brewers were the better team this week, and now they are champions.
Congratulations to Milwaukee. What a season.
Featured photo: Jacob Misiorowski pitching for the Milwaukee Brewers by Drovetochicago, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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