A real team won the 2026 World Series. There were so many things the Milwaukee Brewers did well. There were so many selfless plays and so many outstanding plays made. They had to fight for it, though against a very strong Tampa Bay Rays team.

Here are notes from the game as it unfolded.

Rays starter, Drew Rasmussen looks solid. 

Jacob Misiorowski is catching a lot of the plate. As the velocity drops, the contact should increase. And what is Milwaukee going to do when it’s bullpen time?

Brewers outfielders, Sal Frelick and Garrett Mitchell almost collide in right centerfield. It’s October, fellas. We should not be having these issues now. 

Top of two Brice Turang doubles. Sal Frelick gets hit. Cooper Pratt comes through once again with a single to right center 1-0.  I understand why he headed to second with Frelick going to third, but Frelick hit the deck and the throw didn’t go home. Give credit to Rasmussen. He comes back to strike out Garrett Mitchell looking. 

A night after third baseman Junior Caminero and catcher Liam Hicks let a ball fall between them, the obvious solution is not for the two to work out who will handle the ball the next time. Oh no. It’s to have them run into each other as they both try to catch the ball. Fortunately for the Rays, Hicks hangs on. 

Yikes. 

Bottom of three: Yandy Diaz pulls a muscle in his left quad on a swing and miss. You can’t pinch run for him to try to tie the game, can you? If he can’t run, what do you do? Aranda lines out to right center, where Mitchell and Frelick brush each other again! Diaz stays in the game.

Top 4: Turang hits one as far as you can hit one to center without it going out. Still 1-0. 

Bottom of four. Misiorowski keeps pumping fastballs down the middle. Chandler Simpson turns one around and singles to right. Frelick bobbles the ball because he isn’t looking at it. Runners at second and third on the error. Uh oh. Game 4 hero Ben Williamson pounds another ball into the ground. David Hamilton makes the kind of throw that gets a first baseman killed. Jake Bauers has to step across the running lane to snag it. Still 1-0. 

Top of five: Rasmussen is out…Whhhhhy???? Kevin Kelly is in. Whhhhhhyyyyy????? Pratt gets another hit, followed by Mitchell and Hamilton. 2-0 Brewers. 

Kevin Cash calls in Garrett Cleavinger, who gets Bauers swinging.  

Top six: Yelich gets hit by a pitch. William Contreras has done such a good job going to right center that Ray leftfielder Chandler Simpson is cheating way over toward center. Contreras bounces one off the left field wall. Yelich scores. 3-0

Turang gets on. 

Tyler Wells comes in to face Frelick. 

That brings up Cooper Pratt, who is only six for his last six. Tampa Bay opts not to walk him in order to get to Mitchell. 

As Pratt skies one foul down the right field line, the question presents itself. Should Ryan Vilade let the ball drop since it’s so deep and Contreras will likely be able to score? Vilade looks unencumbered by such thoughts and makes a good, but awkward, throw to the plate. Contreras scores. 4-0

Misiorowski  gets through two outs in the Sixth before what looks to be cramps knocks him out of the game. Hicks grounds out on the first pitch from Jojo Romero. 4-0

Tampa Bay gives up a hit to Chourio, but a double play erases the threat. Still 4-0. 

Simpson’s speed gives the Rays hope. A chopper at the plate ends up in the Brewer bullpen after Contreras can’t get a grip and rushes the throw. Richie Palacios swings at the first Abner Uribe pitch and grounds out to the right side. 

That brings up Victor Mesa Jr., who is in for Vilade. Mesa’s footwork on a 3-1 pitch shows zero inclination to rope it to left, which is where it should go. To his credit, Mesa continues to fight. On the eighth pitch to him he grounds out to second. Is that sprinting to first? That doesn’t look like sprinting to first…

Baker gets the Brewers in order in the eighth. They have six outs to create a miracle. 

The closer, Trevor Megill enters in the eighth. God, I hate this move. Taylor Walls smokes one to left but Chourio makes a fine diving grab. Aranda ends the inning being called out on a check swing. 

Seymour gets the call again in the ninth and delivers. Still 4-0 

The fans chant, “Let’s go, Brewers!” So much for home field advantage. 

Caminero pits together a quality at-bat…before watching a 98 mph heater go by for strike three. It’s all but over. 

Until Hicks bounces one off of the corner of the first-base bag. Now, there’s a runner on second. A DeLuca homer would blunt the lead in half. 

Hope…until DeLuca swings at a ball in the dirt. Contreras tags him out standing in the batter’s box. Way to run that one out, kid. 

Simpson doubles to right. 4-1. 

Two outs. Palacios is up. Hitless in the World Series. He looks at 99 down the middle. On deck is Mesa Jr. 

The Rays are screwed. 

Palacios grounds weekly to Turang. 

It’s all over. 

Tampa Bay may have been the small ball team. Milwaukee was the everything team. Pitching, relief pitching, extra base hits, defense. The best team won.