Misiorowski's 103-Mph Fastballs Power Brewers to Historic First World Series Title

The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to capture the 2026 World Series. The victory concluded a best-of-seven series in which the small-market club relied on disciplined hitting and pitching rather than power to overcome the expansion team. Thousands of fans at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, witnessed the final out, triggering a celebration that lasted well into the night.

Jacob Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings to earn the win. The right-hander, who is 24 years old, faced the batters with a velocity that set a new standard for the postseason. He opened the game with 12 consecutive four-seam fastballs, reaching speeds between 100.9 and 103 miles per hour. He threw 86 pitches, with 58 for strikes, and allowed just two hits before a cramp in his right calf forced him from the mound.

Cooper Pratt provided the offensive spark for the Brewers. The rookie, who made his major league debut in June, recorded two hits and two runs batted in during the final game. He set a World Series rookie record by getting a hit in six consecutive at-bats before his final plate appearance. Jackson Chourio also set a record for the shortest series, amassing 11 hits over five games. The team scored its runs through a combination of singles, doubles, and sacrifice flies, continuing a trend from the regular season.

William Contreras, selected as the World Series Most Valuable Player, hit an RBI double in the sixth inning to extend the lead. The Brewers had taken a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Pratt singled against Rays starter Drew Rasmussen. In the sixth, Contreras reached base, and Pratt followed with a sacrifice fly to make the score 4-0. The Rays managed only one run, an RBI double by Chandler Simpson in the ninth inning.

Trevor Megill secured the save for Milwaukee. The closer retired Richie Palacios on a ground ball to second baseman Brice Turang to end the game. After the final out, Megill threw his arms in the air as teammates gathered near the mound. First baseman Jake Bauers kept the ball used for the final out and presented it to manager Pat Murphy, citing the skipper’s contribution to the team’s cohesion.

Pat Murphy, the 67-year-old manager, guided the team to its first championship in the franchise’s 58th season. The Brewers began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee in 1970. Their previous appearance in the World Series in 1982 ended with a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals after they squandered a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning of Game 7. Murphy, who won the National League Manager of the Year award in 2024 and 2025, emphasized the group’s focus on collective success over individual statistics.

The championship comes at a critical moment in baseball labor relations. The Brewers ranked 19th in payroll as of August 31, while the Rays were 25th, making this the first World Series since 1991 contested by teams in the bottom half of the league in revenue. Owners have cited the success of small-market teams as a reason to implement a salary cap. A management lockout is expected to begin on December 2, potentially threatening the start of the 2027 season.

The Rays have never won a World Series since joining the major leagues in 1998. They now have three World Series losses, including defeats in 2008 and 2020. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash noted that his team is physically exhausted but proud of its performance. The Brewers finished the regular season with 103 wins and went 11-2 in the postseason, including a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.