The Milwaukee Brewers erased nearly six decades of heartache Wednesday night, defeating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to clinch the franchise’s first World Series title.

 

The Brewers used their small-ball ways, leaning on clutch hitting, stellar defense and exquisite pitching from ace Jacob Misiorowski to claim Game 5 and win the title. It was a fitting exhibition of Brewers baseball that carried them to baseball’s best record in the regular season and saw them roll through the postseason.

 

RBI singles from Cooper Pratt and David Hamilton built the lead in the second and fifth innings, but it was the sixth when things went up a notch. William Contreras’ RBI double scored a run and then he would score on Pratt’s sacrifice fly to build the lead to 4-0.

 

Liam Hicks and Chandler Simpson both doubled in the ninth for the Rays to plate Tampa Bay's lone run.

 

It’s an incredible moment for the city of Milwaukee’s baseball fans. The Brewers had only been to one World Series before this year, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. After coming within three outs of the title on Tuesday and falling short, the Brewers will get to go back to Milwaukee for a victory parade rather than a Game 6.

 

The Brewers’ title is a victory for the league’s smallest media market and 19th-biggest payroll. Notably, the Brewers swept the big-money Los Angeles Dodgers to get to the World Series, a major bit of payback for a franchise has been building toward this moment.

Final score: Brewers 4, Rays 1