Trevor Megill Seals First World Series Title for Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5

Closer Trevor Megill recorded the final out of the World Series on Wednesday night at Tropicana Field, delivering the Milwaukee Brewers their first championship in franchise history. Megill induced a ninth-inning ground ball to second base from Tampa Bay pinch-hitter Richie Palacios, sealing a Game 5 triumph that brought an end to the organization's 58-season title drought.

Tasked with handling the final two innings out of the bullpen, Megill held the line to preserve Milwaukee's championship clincher. While one initial recap reported a 4-0 final score, game accounts show the Rays avoided a shutout when Chandler Simpson hit a two-out RBI double off Megill in the ninth before the right-hander retired Palacios to finalize a 4-1 victory. As the ball reached first base, Megill thrust his arms into the air and was quickly mobbed on the mound by teammates.

Megill's role in the crowning moment highlights Milwaukee's knack for finding unheralded contributors. The Chicago Cubs had placed Megill on waivers in 2021 after giving him his initial major-league shot, and the Brewers later brought him in via a minor transaction for a player to be named later. During the postgame festivities in St. Petersburg, Megill made reference to the Cubs, turning the spotlight toward his former division rival while celebrating his new championship ring.

Megill finished off a dominant pitching display initiated by 24-year-old starter Jacob Misiorowski. Working on four days' rest, Misiorowski tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings of two-hit baseball, consistently firing fastballs between 100.9 and 103 mph before departing due to a right calf cramp. Relievers JoJo Romero and Abner Uribe each recorded two outs to set up Megill's two-inning save, leaving Misiorowski with a 2-0 record and a 0.84 ERA in the Fall Classic.

Milwaukee built its lead through rookie infielder Cooper Pratt and catcher William Contreras. Pratt opened the scoring with an RBI single off Rays starter Drew Rasmussen in the second inning, scored on a David Hamilton single in the fifth, and drove in another run with a sixth-inning sacrifice fly. Pratt, who debuted in June, set a World Series rookie record with six consecutive hits across Games 4 and 5. Contreras, who drove in another run with a sixth-inning double, was named World Series Most Valuable Player.

The victory capped a historic season for a franchise with baseball's 19th-ranked payroll at $146.2 million. Milwaukee built more than half of its 26-man World Series roster through trades, relying on acquisitions like Megill, Contreras, and Jake Bauers. Only one major-league free agent, backup catcher Gary Sanchez at $1.75 million, was on the active championship roster, alongside international signings like Jackson Chourio and Luis Lara.

Manager Pat Murphy, who guided the club to a major-league-leading 103 regular-season wins and an 11-2 postseason run, praised his squad's unity after the trophy presentation. 'This group of guys right here, the 2026 team, will be remembered forever -- and they deserve that because they were a team,' Murphy said. 'When you talk about this team, you've got to talk about people who care about each other. They're not worried about their own stats. No one cares about that. They care about coming together and winning tonight.'

The title marks Milwaukee's first World Series triumph since the franchise was founded as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Wisconsin in 1970. The Brewers' only prior Fall Classic trip came in 1982, when they surrendered a Game 7 lead to the St. Louis Cardinals. For the Rays, the Game 5 defeat dropped their franchise to 0-3 in World Series appearances, matching the Brooklyn Dodgers and Detroit Tigers as the only clubs to drop their first three Fall Classic visits.