Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy credited the team’s fans after the club claimed its first World Series title Wednesday night, beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to take the series 4-1.
The victory ended a 57-year championship drought for the franchise, which began play in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots. It was Milwaukee’s first World Series appearance since 1982.
Murphy said the support from fans stood out throughout a season in which few outside the organization expected a deep run.
“We didn’t get picked to win the division by one outlet. We didn’t get picked to win over 85 games by anybody… but those fans of ours, they picked us,” Murphy said.
The Brewers finished the regular season with a franchise-record 103 wins, the most in Major League Baseball. They led the National League Central by 14 games and posted a .636 winning percentage.
Murphy also highlighted the players’ collective approach after the clincher.
“This group of guys right here, the 2026 team, will be remembered forever — and they deserve that because they were a team. They’re not worried about their own stats. No one cares about that. They care about coming together and winning tonight,” Murphy said.
Milwaukee went 11-2 in the postseason, sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series after taking the San Diego Padres in four games in the division series. The club carried the 19th-highest payroll in baseball into October.
Catcher William Contreras was named World Series MVP after batting .381 (8-for-21) with four RBIs across the five games. He also threw out four runners attempting to steal and succeeded on most of his challenges under the automated ball-strike system.
Rookie pitcher Jacob Misiorowski started Game 5 and threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits before leaving with a calf cramp. Closer Trevor Megill finished the ninth for the save.
The series scores were 3-2, 5-4, 10-1, 4-3 (12 innings) and 4-1. Milwaukee outscored Tampa Bay by a wide margin overall and limited the Rays to 12 runs in five games.
Thousands of Brewers fans traveled to Tropicana Field for the road games, creating a noticeable presence that Murphy and players said they felt during introductions and throughout the contests. Watch parties in Milwaukee and across Wisconsin drew large crowds as well.
Murphy, in his third season as manager after serving as bench coach, becomes the first skipper to lead the Brewers to a World Series title. He previously won National League Manager of the Year in 2024 and 2025.
The championship marks the first time a Milwaukee-based major league club has won the Fall Classic since the Braves did so in 1957. A parade is scheduled for Friday in the city.
