Brewers Claim Their First World Series Title, Honor Bob Uecker

WHO:

ESPN - Yelich was the Brewers’ first captain in franchise history.

ESPN - Yelich and Brandon Woodruff were the only players with Milwaukee throughout its run of eight playoff berths in nine seasons beginning in 2018.

ESPN - Yelich said after the championship, “Uecky, I love you, man. We did it,” and added, “This one's still for Bob.”

ESPN - Robin Yount congratulated Yelich on the field and praised him for helping Milwaukee win the title.

ESPN - Yelich said Bob Uecker had privately shared his small cell lung cancer diagnosis with him.

ESPN - Pat Murphy said Yelich kept telling the team, “we're going to win the World Series,” even when players doubted it.

MLB.com - William Contreras was named World Series Most Valuable Player for his work behind the plate.

MLB.com - Brewers manager Pat Murphy said the team entered the postseason with a different attitude after learning from past eliminations: “we weren't going to be denied.”

MLB.com - Christian Yelich, who joined Milwaukee in 2018, said winning the World Series “changes a place a little bit.”

MLB.com - Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff said he chose not to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery in August and thanked Murphy for the opportunity to pitch in the World Series.

Deadline - The Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series title in franchise history.

Deadline - Bob Uecker, the late Brewers radio announcer, was the team’s radio voice until 2024.

NY Post - Christian Yelich paid tribute to Bob Uecker; the article says Uecker’s presence remained a major part of Brewers culture.

MLB.com - Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff called the custom bottles “so cool” because they recognized everyone who helped the team reach the championship.

MLB.com - Brewers director of team travel and clubhouse operations Dan Larrea led the bottle-customization effort with Tony Migliaccio, Jason Shawger, Phil Rozewicz, Joe Swanhart and Ben Wilkes.

MLB.com - Nine celebratory bottles bore Uecker’s name; he wore No. 9 as a player.

MLB.com - Manager Pat Murphy said the team learned from prior postseason defeats and “weren't going to be denied.”

MLB.com - Jacob Misiorowski, Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich, William Contreras, Cooper Pratt, Aaron Ashby and the rest of the 2026 Brewers were identified as World Series champions.

MLB.com - Trevor Megill closed out Game 5; Brice Turang fielded the final groundout.

WHAT:

ESPN - Yelich said of Uecker, “He's smiling, man. He's smiling. I really wish he could have been here to see this. That would have meant everything to him.”

ESPN - Yelich said his difficult postseason experiences made him tougher and that “those low moments prepare you for this moment.”

ESPN - Yelich was the National League MVP in 2018, when Milwaukee reached Game 7 of the NL Championship Series; he fractured his kneecap while contending for another MVP award the following year.

ESPN - Yelich scored one of Milwaukee’s four runs in the championship-clinching Game 5.

MLB.com - Milwaukee’s players said they were surprised by the large Brewers crowd at Tropicana Field; Yelich described seeing the stadium filled with Brewers fans as “like a movie.”

ESPN - Yelich said the Brewers’ past postseason disappointments had prepared them for the championship: “All those low moments … prepare you for this moment.”

ESPN - Uecker’s final game broadcast ended with, “That one had some sting on it”; he then visited the Brewers’ silent locker room to offer condolences.

ESPN - Yelich drove in two runs in NLCS Game 2, hit a first-inning RBI triple in World Series Game 1, and went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI in Game 3.

ESPN - Yelich recorded career lows of .315 in on-base percentage and .692 in OPS during the regular season.

Fox Sports - Fox Sports released a video imagining Bob Uecker calling the Brewers’ championship-clinching title, saying, “As Ueck looks down from above, proud of his boys, we thought, ‘What would this title run have sounded…’”

MLB.com - Milwaukee became the first champion among five franchises that had never won a World Series: the Brewers, Mariners, Padres, Rays and Rockies.

MLB.com - The Brewers made eight postseason appearances in the nine years after Yelich joined the club.

MLB.com - Woodruff pitched the ninth inning of Milwaukee’s Game 3 blowout win.

MLB.com - The article highlighted Milwaukee’s eight-run inning in Game 3, Jake Bauers’ 11-pitch home run in NLCS Game 3, and his 12-pitch walk in NLCS Game 2.

MLB.com - Milwaukee beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-1, in Game 5 to win the series and capture the Commissioner’s Trophy.

MLB.com - The Brewers won 11 postseason games and lost twice; they had a franchise-record and Major League-best 103 regular-season wins.

MLB.com - Milwaukee beat the Padres in the NLDS, swept the Dodgers in the NLCS, then defeated the Rays in the World Series.

MLB.com - Misiorowski pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings before calf cramping ended his start.

MLB.com - Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt recorded hits in five and six consecutive plate appearances, tying and then breaking a World Series rookie record; he added a sixth-inning sacrifice fly.

MLB.com - The Brewers’ bullpen allowed one ninth-inning run after Liam Hicks’ double took an unusual carom off first base.

MLB.com - Brewers staff customized celebratory bottles across the postseason: bottles named for Wisconsin incorporated cities after the NLDS, and bottles named for franchise postseason players after the NLCS.

MLB.com - Yelich said the bottles recognized club history, families and the people who helped the team reach the title: “It takes a lot of people in your life to get you to this point.”

WHERE:

ESPN - Yount was the Brewers’ MVP in their previous World Series appearance.

MLB.com - The championship parade route was to end at the Summerfest grounds.

MLB.com - American Family Field is the Brewers’ home stadium, and Henry Aaron’s retired No. 44 hangs there.

MLB.com - Murphy described traveling to Eau Claire, La Crosse, the Dells, Green Bay and Wausau, where about 1,200 people attended each theater stop.

MLB.com - The deciding game was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg; 31,000 fans watched at the Brewers’ domed home in Milwaukee.

MLB.com - Tropicana Field drew Brewers fans who made it feel like a home venue during the World Series.

MLB.com - Milwaukee’s championship parade route was scheduled to begin at N. 4th St. and W. Wisconsin Ave. and continue through downtown to the Summerfest grounds.

WHEN:

MLB.com - The Brewers won the title in their 57th season in Milwaukee and 44 years after their previous World Series appearance.

MLB.com - Uecker died in January 2025 from small cell lung cancer.

MLB.com - The championship parade was scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m. CT.

WHY:

MLB.com - The Brewers dedicated the title to those who helped make the achievement possible, including families and club staff.

MLB.com - Migliaccio carried a coin made for him by Judy Uecker to honor Bob Uecker; one side showed Uecker’s face and the other his final Brewers Radio Network signoff, “So long, everybody!”

HOW:

ESPN - Uecker called Brewers games through the 2023 and 2024 seasons while battling cancer, keeping the diagnosis private until his death.

MLB.com - Murphy said he FaceTimed Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick during his Wisconsin tour and surprised him by turning the phone toward fans.

MLB.com - Larrea had coordinated travel for the Brewers and their families since 1997.

MLB.com - The Brewers chartered five planes to bring much of the front office to St. Petersburg for Games 3–5; staff remaining in Milwaukee handled watch parties attended by 31,000 fans across the three games.

MLB.com - Yelich said the championship-clinching moment left him unable to remember what happened on the field after Turang threw to first base.

The Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series title, defeating Tampa Bay in the decisive game. Christian Yelich dedicated the championship to late broadcaster Bob Uecker, a beloved figure in Brewers culture. William Contreras earned World Series MVP honors.