Jacob Misiorowski didn’t get the full finish he wanted, but the Brewers got exactly what they needed.
Milwaukee captured its first World Series on Wednesday night, knocking off the Rays 4-1 to end a 56-year title drought that dates back to major league baseball’s arrival in Wisconsin in 1970. It was the kind of championship that fit this team: no splashy payroll, no lineup built around a parade of sluggers, no roster loaded with household names. Just a club that kept leaning on its best players when the moment got biggest.
Misiorowski was the headliner on the mound in Game 5, even if his night ended in frustration. The 24-year-old presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner left after 5 ⅔ innings because of a leg cramp, visibly unhappy as he headed off the field in the biggest start of his life.
Before that departure, though, he had already shoved Milwaukee into control. He allowed only two hits and one walk, struck out two and kept Tampa Bay off balance with a fastball that produced weak contact all night.
When he exited, the Brewers were up 2-0.
That final start felt like a bookend to the way Misiorowski opened the season. On Opening Day, he went five innings against the White Sox in a 14-2 win, giving up one run on two hits while striking out 11. Seven months later, he didn’t have the same strikeout total, but the results were every bit as effective.
The Brewers widened the gap after he left, and William Contreras delivered the swing that made the finish feel inevitable. One inning after Misiorowski exited, Contreras sent an RBI double down the left-field line. Three batters later, he crossed the plate on a sacrifice fly and celebrated by pounding the ground, pushing Milwaukee ahead 4-0.
By then, Contreras had already built the kind of postseason that leaves no room for debate. He was named World Series MVP, which fit the arc of his October perfectly.
He led all MLB players with 19 postseason hits and hit .373/.448/.588, adding three home runs and nine RBIs. He also walked seven times and struck out seven times, good for a massive 192 wRC+.
Behind the plate, he threw out five of 10 base stealers, won 21 of 32 ABS challenges and helped guide Milwaukee’s staff to a 1.98 ERA and a 0.95 WHIP.
After the game, reliever Aaron Ashby described what Contreras meant to the team while speaking with Fox’s Kevin Burkhardt on the championship podium.
“He wants to compete every single day, he wants to die for everyone on this team. He would do anything for any one of the guys on this team. He’s our bulldog, and we love this dude,” he said.
Misiorowski’s outing was his best of the postseason and the first time he worked into the sixth inning. He also spent the regular season making his case as Milwaukee’s top pitcher.
Among qualified major league starters, he finished first in ERA at 1.80, strikeouts with 251, WHIP at 0.80 and fWAR at 6.6. That makes him the heavy favorite for the NL Cy Young Award, and if he wins it, he would become the first pitcher since Randy Johnson to take home that award and a World Series title in the same season.
Misiorowski also made it clear after the game that he understood how much the championship had been shaped by the response to the previous night’s pain. Milwaukee had taken a devastating walk-off loss in Game 4, and he credited the group for bouncing back the way it did.
“Last night, it sucked. Obviously there’s no words to describe it.
It wasn’t fun. To get walked off in that fashion, I mean, it happens.
It’s baseball,” he said. “But for these guys to turn around and have a game like this today, and understand what it meant to the city, it’s awesome.
It’s really cool to be a part of.”
And while the title was sealed by the two biggest stars, the path there was built by the rest of the roster too. Milwaukee’s bullpen was outstanding in October, combining for a 1.38 ERA with dominant work from Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill.
Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt and 22-year-old left fielder Jackson Chourio each collected 17 hits in the playoffs. Sal Frelick provided energy, Garrett Mitchell delivered big homers and a game-saving catch, and David Hamilton added speed and unexpected power.
The Brewers needed all of it to get to the edge of a championship. But when it was time to finish, they turned to the players who had carried them all year.
Stars matter. On Wednesday night, Misiorowski and Contreras made sure everyone knew it.
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