\u201cWe weren\u2019t coming in to play patty-cake. We were hungry, and as long as it\u2019s an even playing field, we are going to come in and give it our best shot to win. That\u2019s exactly what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014 Pat Murphy, Milwaukee Brewers manager<\/p>\n
The 122nd version of America\u2019s greatest game, the World Series, is now in the books. The Milwaukee Brewers gave the fans a showcase example of a solidified team that came with grit and determination and walked away with the championship. The team\u2019s skipper, 67-year-old Patrick Thomas Murphy, guided his nine to victory in five games over the American League\u2019s Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Both teams entered the games with neither team having won a previous championship.<\/p>\n
Murphy, the former college baseball coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State, inscribed his name in the World Series record book, having never played a day of Major League Baseball. The Syracuse, New York, native, with his square-jawed countenance, knows how to win baseball games. He recorded over 900 wins as a college coach, posting a .703 winning percentage. The two-time National League manager of the year did play four years in the minors in the early 1980s for the Giants and Padres organizations. This year\u2019s Milwaukee Team had the best record in the majors, winning 103 games while only losing 59. Murphy\u2019s four-year winning percentage as a big league manager is .603 per cent. If you judge a team by its yearly payroll, the Brewers are ranked No. 20 out of the 30 teams in both leagues. The highest team total payroll is the Dodgers with a payout of over 412 million dollars. The Brewers proved that money does not always dictate wins, as Milwaukee defeated the LA Dodgers with a four-game sweep in the National League Playoffs. Absurd in my mind is the fact that the highest-paid player in baseball is the Dodgers outfielder Kyle Tucker. Tucker makes only $60 million a year. I hope he gives to his church.<\/p>\n
The series was fun to watch, as so many unexpected and exciting plays and situations kept me glued to my television as I enjoyed the competitive play of both teams. Former Atlanta Braves catcher William Contreras was voted the MVP of the series with a batting average of .381. Boasting that he felt like the best catcher in baseball after the victory, he did a masterful job of guiding the pitchers in each of the five games.<\/p>\n
Brewers rookie shortstop, Cooper Platt, batted.421, getting eight safeties in 19 at-bats with seven runs batted in. Cooper set a World Series record for a rookie with his six straight hits across Games 4 and 5. Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee\u2019s fireballing hurler, was the winning pitcher in game one. The guy consistently was throwing a fastball clocked at 102, 103 miles per hour, if you can believe it. Jacob was also the winning pitcher in the decisive Game 5. Great pitching was a dominant factor in the Milwaukee squad\u2019s wins. The relievers pitched over half the innings in the contests, and Aaron Asby fired 18 scoreless innings for the winners. Jackson Chourio, Brewers left fielder, amassed 11 hits in just five games played.<\/p>\n
Milwaukee played small ball as they only sent the ball out of the yard three times. The team batting average for the series was .280. Out of a total of 25 hits, 10 were doubles. Nine stolen bases also added to the mix of small-ball offense that propelled the Brewers to the crown. Tampa Bay\u2019s offense was weak, with a team batting average of .182 and only one home run. In clearer terms, this was not a \u201cHome Run Derby\u201d set of games. Purist baseball fans appreciate more of a fundamental type of play anyway. So that is what we witnessed.<\/p>\n
The only other time Milwaukee has seen a World Series Championship was the 1957 Milwaukee Braves of Hank Aaron and company. Pitcher Lew Burdette was the MVP as the Wisconsin lads put away the heavily favored NY Yankees in seven games. Pitching was the big catalyst also in those games. Burdette recorded three wins, aided by Hall of Fame teammate Warren Spahn\u2019s win, to claim the coveted trophy.<\/p>\n
Hats off to the first-time champs who provided a most competitive and interesting set of tilts that the baseball world enjoyed. I am signing off for the winter and will start my column again in March of 2027 during spring training. In the words of the great Hall of Famer, Rogers Hornsby, I quote:<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople ask me what I do in the winter when there\u2019s no baseball. I\u2019ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.\u201d<\/p>\n