How a low-payroll Brewers roster won the 2026 World Series

The Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series on Wednesday night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field to take the series four games to one.

The clinching game followed the pattern of the Brewers' postseason: rookie pitching, timely hitting, and no reliance on a star-heavy roster. Rookie ace Jacob Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings of two-hit ball before leaving with a right calf cramp. Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt had two hits and drove in two runs. Trevor Megill recorded the final out on a Richie Palacios grounder to second baseman Brice Turang, who threw to Jake Bauers before a sold-out crowd of 40,489.

William Contreras was named World Series MVP after batting .381.

The Brewers won 103 regular-season games and then went 11-2 in the postseason. The roster was built with few established stars and a low payroll — a contrast to the usual championship blueprint, and the central fact of this title. Milwaukee had reached the World Series only once before, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in 1982. The city's previous championship came from the Braves in 1957, before the Brewers existed.

Tampa Bay's season ends one win short of its own first championship. The Rays spent most of the year with the American League's best record, won the AL East for the first time in five years, and reached their third World Series. They had been widely projected to finish last in their division and played through a hurricane-damaged ballpark.

For now, the numbers stand: 103 wins, 11 more in October, two losses, and a first championship after 57 seasons.