Milwaukee Brewers celebrate World Series win

Reporting by Rory Linnane, Sophie Carson, Gina Lee Castro, Francesca Pica and Blaise Mesa, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series for the first time. The jubilation from the city came as a loud burst from American Family Field, as an eruption of cheers from packed bars, as thrilled shouts from homes.

The Brewers proved they could win their way: small-market budget, no one superstar player, facing adversity and not flinching. Defying expectations and winning in Tampa 4-1 in Game 5.

And Milwaukee celebrated its way, packing corner bars and selling out home stadium to watch the away-game broadcast on the scoreboard, cheering as loud as if the players were there in front of them.

In Tampa, Stubhub reported about a quarter of the game’s tickets were purchased from Wisconsin zip codes – about 10 times the rate of Floridians purchasing tickets for Milwaukee games.

The win looked like it came easy for the Brewers as they ticked up points in the second, fifth and sixth innings while the Rays sat at zero.

Fans were confident in a win

It was 8-year-old Karina Moore’s first trip to American Family Field and she came ready to celebrate with about 31,000 other fans.

At home, she and her father Raymond have been practicing a signature dance each time the Brewers scored – even when that was long past bedtime. A double handshake, four hops, a twirl and four more hops: invented in Game 1 as a way to get Karina interested in the games.

Raymond wanted Karina to witness history being made Oct. 28. He was confident the Brewers would do it.

“I know it’s gonna be crazy,” Raymond said. “We’ve been gnawing at it; we’ve had our downs, but we’ve been so close for years.”

American Family Field sold out its watch party for the third night in a row. Tickets sold out within minutes.

At Milwaukee’s Deer Garden’s World Series watch party, the Bucks played less than 500 feet away. In the crowd of a thousands of people, there was a sprinkle of fans in Bucks gear in the swarm of Brewers’ jerseys and hats.

Then there was Christopher Nimmer, 19, who mixed both teams into one jersey. He wore a Brewers’ blue and yellow basketball style jersey with “Brew Crew” on the front and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the back. A balanced blend of his hometown teams. But tonight, he’s watching the Brewers play.

“It’s the World Series,” he said with a shrug.

At American Family Field, lifelong Milwaukee resident John Dupies, 66, said he has been a Brewers fan since the team moved to the city in 1970. He watched from his college apartment as Harvey’s Wallbangers fell short of a World Series title in 1982. He attended the first few games at American Family Field — then Miller Park — even as the team slogged through the middle of a 26-year playoff drought.

And, earlier this month, he watched Jackson Chourio’s walk-off win against the San Diego Padres. For someone who’s witnessed every Brewers high and low, the thought of clinching the World Series brings tears to his eyes.“This is where we’re rewarded,” he said.

Shop new Brewers World Series champions gear

Fans remember loved ones who ‘would have loved to be here’

The World Series run has been bittersweet for some fans who are missing loved ones.

At The Newport corner bar in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood, Amanda Merkwae is watching the World Series with her parents ashes in her pocket.

Her father passed this October and her mother died in January 2025. The two of them loved the Brewers, she said.

“One of their favorite past times in retirement was just watching the game,” said Merkwae, a Milwaukee resident, “and every time that I would call my mom on my daily drives, she would always start with how the Brewers played.”

Douglas Mack, one of the earliest fans to arrive at American Family Field Oct. 28, was missing his dad who played baseball and passed away in July. He said is favorite player is Jacob Misiorowski, because of how close he his with his own father. Mack was watching the game with his mom, Linda.

“He would have loved to have been here,” Linda said. She’s been waiting for a Brewers win for decades; she’s had season tickets for 20 years.

Linda remembered watching the Milwaukee Braves win the 1957 World Series from her third grade classroom in Brookfield, and watching a Barry Manilow concert in 1982 when the Brewers lost the World Series. Everyone was checking for the score during the concert, she said, “and then there was no helping Barry.”

Linda was sure things would go better for the Brewers Oct. 28. She was looking forward to soaking in the victory with fellow ticketholders who she’s been sitting beside for years.

“If you have a down week, you come here and it’s uplifting,” she said.

In Milwaukee’s Deer District, Jim Haase was thinking of his brother. The last time the Milwaukee Brewers had a shot at the World Series, Haase, 60, was in high school.

He’s not a “real” baseball fan like his late brother Rich was, but the spirit for the Brewers is infectious, he said. Haase and his wife Amanda Haase, 50, had to watch the game at The Deer Garden.

Jim’s older brother Rich was the ultimate Brewers fan. He watched many Brewers games with his children. Jim was confident the Brewers would finish the World Series tonight.

“Rich has his hands in this game tonight,” Jim said.

World Series champions

In the hallways of American Family Field in the final moments of Game 5, a mother rocked her baby, eyes glued to the monitor. Fans carrying fresh beers dashed to their seats. Children and adults alike clasped hands over their mouths.

The moment the Rays sent a ground ball into the hands of the Brewers, the stadium erupted all at once in thunder. Hugs, high fives, tears and cigars.

“I was 13 when the Brewers last went to the World Series,” Kelly Olson, 57, said through tears as she embraced her daughter. “I’ve waited 44 years for this.

“The Brewers feel like they’re ours. There’s a lot of new fans out there, but they don’t feel what we feel.”

At the Newport, Milwaukee resident Taylor Davis grew up going to Brewers games and felt his fandom had been rewarded.

“I know Wisconsin sports,” he said, “they like to rip our hearts out this year. And in this series, I knew we were gonna get it done.”

Michelle Maynard, a Milwaukee resident, fell in love with the Brewers five years ago. She knew it was going to happen. She said the team’s young talent has been built from the bottom up, and they were ready for the moment.

“Go Brewers,” she said. “World Series 2026. We did it.”

Crowds huddled on the sidewalk outside of the New Fashioned screamed and hugged each other. Olivia Raasch screamed into her cellphone’s front camera, “That’s for you, grandpa!”

Raasch’s grandfather Gary Raasch died earlier this year at 82 years old. He was a huge Brewers fan and didn’t get a chance to see his team win the World Series.

“He’s watching this right now,” Olivia said.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The wait is over. Milwaukee celebrates World Series win

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