Even before the first inning settled in, the Rays were staring at a brutal setup in Game 5. Their bullpen had been emptied by the marathon win in Game 4, and Drew Rasmussen was asked to start on short rest, something he had never done in his career. If Tampa Bay was going to survive another night of low-scoring baseball, the offense had to carry the load - especially the top of the order.
That never happened.
Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero were quiet again Wednesday, and the Rays were sent packing with a 4-1 loss to the Brewers in the final game of the 2026 World Series. Across the Series, Tampa Bay’s first three hitters went 11-for-57 (.193) with two RBIs and no home runs. For a trio that finished 1st, 4th and 8th in the American League in hits this season and combined for 86 homers, it was a harsh letdown.
The Rays managed just 12 runs in five games. They were blanked in 40 of the 48 innings they played.
Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski set the tone immediately. His first pitch to Diaz was a 102-mph fastball for strike one, and that was the beginning of 12 straight fastballs over 100 mph to open the game.
As the first inning unfolded, Rasmussen did his part as well as he could, opening with back-to-back strikeouts and then getting Christian Yelich to roll a soft grounder. It took just 11 pitches.
But the margin was thin, and the Brewers found it quickly in the second. Rasmussen worked around a quick out to start the inning, then left a 90-mph changeup over the plate on his third pitch to Brice Turang.
Turang lined a double to leftfield and scored moments later on a Cooper Pratt single. Milwaukee had a 1-0 lead, and the Rays were already chasing.
Tampa Bay’s best scoring chance against Misiorowski didn’t arrive until the fourth. After Liam Hicks was hit by a pitch, Chandler Simpson punched a two-out single to rightfield, and Sal Frelick’s bobble allowed the runners to move into scoring position.
Ben Williamson came up with a chance to crack the game open, but Misiorowski started him with a fastball for strike one and then kept firing. Four fastballs later, Williamson bounced out to third and the threat was gone.
Knowing Rasmussen was on a short leash, the Rays pulled him after four innings and 48 pitches. It was a reasonable move. Kelly just didn’t hold up his end.
After retiring Sal Frelick to open the fifth, Kelly allowed back-to-back singles to Pratt and Garrett Mitchell. Tampa Bay brought its infield in against David Hamilton, but Hamilton lined a Kelly changeup to rightfield for an RBI single. With the Brewers up by two, the game tilted hard in their direction.
By the end, Misiorowski’s velocity had only started to ease, dipping to 98 mph on his final pitch of the night. Caminero got all of it, sending a drive 345 feet to rightfield, but it died at the wall. Misiorowski finished with 57 fastballs and an average velocity of 101.1 mph.
In Other News...
Taylor Walls Delivered A Defiant Rays Message After That Walk-Off Win
After the Rays pulled out a walk-off win over the Brewers in the World Series, the postgame conversation quickly shifted from the final swing to the bigger picture. MLB insider Ken Rosenthal asked shortstop Taylor Walls whether getting just one victory was meaningful because it showed Tampa Bay could hang with Milwaukee, a line of questioning that underscored how much respect the Brewers have earned in the matchup.
Walls did not love the premise, making it clear he thought the question missed the point of how the Rays view themselves. Tampa Bay has no interest in treating one win like proof of parity, because the belief inside the room is that the series is still there to be won, and the group is determined to keep competing against a Milwaukee club it still recognizes as a formidable opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Brewers Let World Series Chance Slip Away At Worst Possible Time
The Rays were staring at the brink again in Game 5, but instead of heading to the offseason, they kept their season alive with one of those late, stubborn October rallies that can change the tone of an entire series. Tampa Bay chipped away at Milwaukees lead, then turned the game into a marathon and came away with a 12th-inning win that sent the World Series back for Game 6.
For a Brewers club that had the championship within reach, the collapse in the late innings was especially painful because the margin for error had already vanished. The Rays now have a chance to do something no World Series team has ever done, forcing a Game 6 after trailing 3-0 in the series, and Milwaukee will have to recover quickly from a loss that let the door swing back open at exactly the wrong moment. [Read more 🡒]
Rays' Remarkable Run Ended Where Their Biggest Flaw Finally Surfaced
For a Rays team that spent the season winning at an American League-best pace and then stormed through October to claim the pennant, the final test arrived with little margin for error. After digging into a 3-0 hole, Tampa Bay needed its offense to come alive against Milwaukee, but the bats never produced enough pressure to extend the season or change the feel of the series.
The Brewers closed it out with a 4-1 win in Game 5, ending the Rays remarkable run and securing the first championship in Milwaukee history. What lingered most was how familiar the problem became over five games, as Tampa Bay managed only 12 runs and struggled to come through with runners in scoring position, the one flaw that finally caught up with a team that had otherwise done so much right. [Read more 🡒]