Brewers Win First World Series in 57 Years—Smallest Market, 19th-Highest Payroll, Biggest Prize

The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions for the first time in the franchise's 57-year history.

They beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 in Florida on Wednesday to clinch the best-of-seven series 4-1.

The Brewers, whose only previous World Series appearance came in 1982, play in Major League Baseball's smallest market and entered this season with the 19th-highest payroll among 30 teams. Yet for the second straight year they finished the regular season with MLB's best record and this time they turned that dominance into a title.

Milwaukee avenged last season's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers by sweeping the two-time defending champions in the National League Championship Series. That secured their place in the 123rd World Series, where they won 11 of 13 postseason games.

William Contreras was named World Series MVP, becoming the eighth catcher to win the award and the third Venezuelan. The 28-year-old also helped Venezuela win the World Baseball Classic in March, alongside teammates Jackson Chourio and Antonio Senzatela.

The Brewers took the lead in the top of the second when Cooper Pratt's single drove home Brice Turang. They added another run in the fifth off a David Hamilton hit, then doubled the lead in their next at-bat through a Contreras double and Pratt's sacrifice fly.

Starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski departed in the sixth. The Rays finally broke through in the ninth when Chandler Simpson doubled home Liam Hicks, but it was too late.

The Brewers entered MLB in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, moving to Milwaukee after just one season. Fifty-seven years later, the smallest market in the league finally has its parade.