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Brewers World Series Champs!

America loves the underdog story. There is no better one than the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Brew Crew captured their first World Series Championship in franchise history by defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field which looked and sounded like American Family Field South.

Milwaukee won the series in five games. All four wins were in dominating fashion. None more telling than Game 3 where the Brewers scored eight runs in the fifth inning, all coming with two outs with seven consecutive hits in a 10-1 shellacking.

After Milwaukee took the first three games, Tampa Bay came from behind in winning Game 4, 4-3 in 12 innings. That momentum didn't last long as the Brewers jumped on Rays ace Drew Rasmussen early in Game 5 and built a 4-0 lead and then hung on for the 4-1 victory.

William Contreras was named the Most Valuable Player but it could have gone to several Brewers. Jackson Churio was outstanding batting .458 going 11 for 24. His 11 hits set a World Series Record. Cooper Pratt recorded six straight hits in the final two games and was a rally catalyst. He batted .421 (8 for 19) with 7 RBI.

Contreras won the award for his tremendous all-around play. His .381 average and 4 RBI were clutch but is ability to behind the plate was key as he won 10 of 13 umpire challenges.

As they have done all year, Milwaukee just plays the game of baseball better than any other team and one of the few teams that plays situational baseball. They bunt, hit behind baserunners and will slap the ball to the opposite field. They steal basses and tag up. They ranked 29th of the 30 teams in the majors in hitting home runs. They haven't needed the longball, but they are more than capable of doing it.

This is a fun team to watch. They play the game the right way and are easy to root for. Their 103 wins were tops in baseball this year and have been the most consistent team by far. They closed the postseason with nine wins in their final 10 games and had an eight-game winning streak while winning 16 of their last 18 games overall.

In a day and age where teams with the highest payroll (Dodgers and Yankees) have dominated baseball, it is refreshing to see a small market team who does it the right way via the draft and developing players through their farm system be at the top.

Milwaukee last appeared in the World Series in 1982. They defeated the Yankees to win the American League Pennant only to lose in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers were in the American League until moving to the National League in 1998.

The 44-year drought is not the longest wait a team has had to get there. The Seattle Mariners have never been after coming close in 2025. The Pittsburgh Pirates last made it in 1979, and the Baltimore Orioles are close to Milwaukee, last making it in 1983.

This franchise in not one of futility. They have been knocking on the door for years. As a matter of fact, Milwaukee has been one of the best team in baseball for the past decade. They have won the National Legue Central Division the past four years and have qualified for the playoffs eight of the past nine seasons winning at least 89 games each of those.

This year's team is young but played like veterans. Christian Yelich is the captain and is the elder statesman at age 34 but the average age of this team is 25. Manager Pat Murphy has done an amazing job of instilling discipline and fundamentals. Murphy has been around the game for past 38 years as a successful college coach (Notre Dame and Arizona State) and a two-time Manager of the Year with Milwaukee.

The Brewers were a team of destiny. After sweeping the Dodgers 4-0 in the NLCS and exacting revenge from being swept by then last year, the Brewers are not the undisputed kings of baseball in the smallest city in the majors. The champagne will be flowing for awhile in celebrating a much long-awaited championship.