Brewers’ First World Series Win in 44 Years Has Milwaukee Fans in Tears

MILWAUKEE – From celebrities to politicians, players to pundits to person in the street, social media was abuzz following the Brewers first home World Series victory in 44 years.

The Brewers took the series opener over the Tampa Bay Rays in a 3-2 nailbiter on Friday night, staving off a ninth-inning comeback when closer Trevor Megill shook off an overturned double-play call that allowed a run to score and fanned Jonny DeLuca to strand the tying run at third base.

“The fans were -- it was crazy,” hard-throwing Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski said after allowing one run in five innings to get the win in his first World Series start. “It's everything I dreamed of. It's really cool that we got to do it here in Milwaukee. It's been awesome to feel the city and feel just the atmosphere they've been creating. It's been amazing.”

The Brewers only other appearance in the World Series was in 1982 when they were in the American League and Ronald Reagan was president. Milwaukee lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals, dropping the final two games.

Tampa Bay, making its first World Series appearance since 2020 and third overall, also has not won the title. It is the first meeting of two teams without a World Series title since Philadelphia topped Kansas City in five games in 1980.

After waiting more than four decades, the Milwaukee area and much of Wisconsin is embracing the long-awaited return to the Fall Classic. Rays fans will get their chance when the Series shifts to Tampa on Monday for Game 3.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers shared the opening-win post on X from the Brewers, shortly after reposting MLB’s Sausage Race video, along with his statement, “Congratulations, Italian Sausage. I knew you could do it.”

Wisconsin native Kato Kaelin, an avid Brewers follower whose X profile includes the description “Former houseguest” and now hosts a true crime podcast, simply wrote, “YES !! U won’t believe this but I’m FRICKING crying tears of joy,”

John Popper, the lead vocalist and harmonica frontman for the band Blues Traveler, exclaimed on Facebook, “Let’s go Brewers!! It’s about time!!” punctuated with a baseball emoji.

Alverno College in Milwaukee posted photos of its rotunda lighted in Brewers blue, saying “That’s a win worth lighting up Milwaukee!”

Brewers fan Dustin Wenthur posted simply, “I just witnessed my Milwaukee Brewers win a #WorldSeries game in person. Am I allowed to cry... I dont know how to feel... this is so surreal...”

Brewers captain Christian Yelich, who tripled in the first run in a two-run first inning, expounded in a postgame TV interview with FOX sports on the emotional swing of the Rays successful ninth-inning challenge and the subsequent Game 1 victory.

“You see the replay, and it’s probably getting overturned, so you have a big range of emotions,” Yelich said. “It’s a big credit to Trev (Megill) for locking back in right there and making some huge pitches after you kind of have that emotional dump.”

Former Brewers owner and baseball commissioner Bud Selig, who participated in the first pitch ceremony with Hall of Famer Robin Yount, shared his postgame reaction with a Milwaukee TV station.

“It was great. It was great,” said the 92-year-old Selig, who led the investment group that brought the Seattle Pilots after their single season in 1969 to Milwaukee the following year.

Or, in the X post words of Curt Hogg, who covers the Brewers for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “What a game. What an insane baseball game. You wanted World Series baseball? You got it, Milwaukee.”