The Brewers didn’t become baseball’s best team in October. They proved it in October.
Baseball fans expected this year’s World Series to be special. For the third time in Fall Classic history, two teams chased their first championship, and this year’s Brewers vs. Rays matchup featured mirror-image teams.
Both played small ball, made contact, moved runners over, and capitalized on opponents’ mistakes. Both brought energy and a roster full of players eager to prove they belonged among the best. Experts predicted a seven-game series, with most giving the Brewers the edge because of their bullpen and well-rounded lineup.
Instead, the Brewers settled it in five. On Wednesday night, the Brewers clinched the World Series with a 4-1 victory over the Rays at the Tropicana Dome. Make no mistake: the Brewers didn’t just beat the Rays; they outclassed them with clutch hits, big innings, and timely defensive plays.
The Brewers finished the regular season with baseball’s best record at 103-59, but questions remained about whether their small-ball approach would work in the postseason. It did, with a twist: after hitting the fewest home runs during the regular season, Milwaukee led the postseason with 13.
That was the beauty of this team. The Brewers could manufacture a run when necessary, but they could also change a game with one swing. Their identity gave them a foundation, not a limitation. They didn’t have to abandon what made them successful to show they could win another way.
You could have guessed this would be a short series when the Brewers overcame a 4-2 first-inning deficit to win the opener 5-4.
The Brewers nearly completed the sweep when Cooper Pratt homered in the 12th inning of Game 4 to give Milwaukee a 3-2 lead. But a throwing error by Joey Ortiz opened the door for the Rays, who took advantage. Johnny DeLuca drove in the tying run before Ben Williamson’s walk-off single extended the series.
With the win, the Rays avoided a sweep, but nothing about the series suggested they could win three more games to claim the title. The suggestion became reality when the Brewers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of Game 5. After pouring so much energy into Tuesday night’s win, the Rays looked like they had little left for another elimination game.
Most Americans will forget this World Series, Wisconsin will remember this team forever, and baseball purists will talk about it incessantly. Why? In this age of money wins championships (LA Dodgers), the Brewers built this team the right way. The organization developed players and acquired others through trades, all working toward the same goal. They won by making contact with the ball, moving runners over, and finding ways to score without waiting for a home run. Most importantly, many young guys with potential developed into prime-time players.
The Brewers had no shortage of World Series MVP candidates. Aaron Ashby shut down the Rays from the bullpen. Jackson Chourio hit .458 with 11 hits. Brice Turang contributed defensively, while Pratt delivered big hits and consistently found ways to get on base. William Contreras won the award, but with so many contributors, it felt more like a team honor than an individual one.
This wasn’t a championship story with everyone else reduced to supporting roles around one star. Different players stepped up, giving fans different reasons to believe.
But like so many epochal events, this breakthrough took years to build. For a franchise accustomed to doing more with less, the championship rewarded decades of work by players, coaches, and the front office, and years of fan loyalty.
For those fans, the meaning stretched beyond five games. They had waited through past October disappointments and wondered when their turn would come. Now they could look at this group and see more than another promising roster. They could see the team that finally finished the job and made the wait worthwhile.
The Brewers didn’t become baseball’s best team in October. They proved it in October.
