Christian Yelich delivered both the opening jolt and the postgame mindset the Brewers needed on Friday night.
Milwaukee’s 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 was the club’s first World Series victory in 44 years, but Yelich wasn’t interested in treating it like anything more than one step in a larger job. After helping set the tone at American Family Field, he kept the message simple.
“Obviously happy that we won, but got to lock back in tomorrow,” Yelich said, via Pat Timlin of WISN 12 News.
That kind of response fit the veteran perfectly. Yelich has been one of the Brewers’ defining players since arriving in 2018, when he won National League MVP honors in his first season with the club. On Friday, he finally got his shot on the game’s biggest stage - and made it count right away.
Jackson Chourio opened the first inning with a leadoff single, and Yelich followed by driving a Nick Martinez pitch past center fielder Jonny DeLuca for an RBI triple. William Contreras then singled Yelich home, and Milwaukee had a 2-0 lead before the night really settled in.
That early burst mattered because the Rays kept pressing. Jacob Misiorowski gave the Brewers five innings and allowed one run, while his first pitch of the World Series hit 103.5 mph, the fastest recorded in the Fall Classic.
The Brewers won their first World Series game in 44 years, but Christian Yelich isn't celebrating anything yet.
— Pat Timlin (@pat_timlin) October 24, 2026
"Obviously happy that we won, but got to lock back in tomorrow"@Dario_Melendez | @WISN12News pic.twitter.com/EH5yaqewCv
Tampa Bay also had a major chance in the fifth with the bases loaded, but couldn’t cash in. Milwaukee added another run in the seventh when Chourio came through again, this time with an RBI single for insurance.
The finish still had some teeth to it. In the ninth, Trevor Megill loaded the bases, then saw what initially looked like a game-ending double play get overturned on replay, letting the Rays get a run across. Megill answered by striking out DeLuca to close it out.
For Milwaukee, it was the franchise’s first World Series win since 1982, when it lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. The Brewers still have never won a championship, and neither have the Rays.
Now the spotlight turns to Game 2 on Saturday night in Milwaukee, where the Brewers will face Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen with a chance to grab a commanding lead before the series heads to Tampa Bay.
In Other News...
Jacob Misiorowski Just Gave Brewers Fans A New Reason To Believe
Jacob Misiorowski has already given Milwaukee plenty of reasons to dream, and his latest spotlight moment only sharpened the anticipation. The hard-throwing starter came into Game 1 after a season in which he posted a 1.80 ERA over 30 starts and routinely lit up radar guns, averaging 100.6 mph on his four-seam fastball.
The performance against Tampa Bay took that power to another level, even by postseason standards. Misiorowskis velocity put him in a class all his own on baseballs biggest stage, and it only added to the sense that the Brewers may have something special in their rotation as the pressure rises. The only real question now is how far that arm can carry them when the games matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Ace Just Gave The World Series A Historic Start
Jacob Misiorowski wasted no time making his presence felt on the biggest stage, opening the World Series with the kind of velocity that has become his calling card for Milwaukee. The Brewers ace has turned into one of the most electric arms in baseball this season, pairing a 1.80 ERA with 252 strikeouts and taking the ball in Game 1 of the NLDS, NLCS and World Series along the way.
The moment was historic even by his standards, though it also fit the larger pattern of what he has been doing since the regular season. Misiorowski had already grabbed attention earlier this year when he topped the league's starter velocity mark, and now the Brewers are watching that same raw power play out on the sport's biggest October stage. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Murphy Got An Unexpected Call Brewers Fans Will Love
Pat Murphy has spent enough time around baseball to keep his focus on the next game, but this one landed differently. The Brewers coach has long been a Bruce Springsteen fan, and after Milwaukee clinched its NLCS victory, he got an unexpected FaceTime call from the man whose music has been part of his life for years. For Murphy, it was the kind of personal moment that goes beyond a clubhouse celebration and into something a little more memorable.
Springsteen had been watching the Brewers and wanted to connect with Murphy, which made the exchange even more meaningful. Murphy described the conversation as easy, and he spoke about the impact Springsteens music has had on him and his teams over the years. It was a reminder that the Brewers postseason run has started to reach beyond the field, in ways that can surprise even the people closest to it. [Read more 🡒]