ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jacob Misiorowski may not have started his trophy case with a World Series MVP award a few weeks before he is expected to be named the National League Cy Young Award winner, but it was still a Fall Classic to remember for the Milwaukee Brewers’ ace.
The 24-year-old started the first and last games of Milwaukee’s five-game World Series victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, allowing one run on six hits over 10 2/3 innings to make the legend of the second-year big-leaguer grow even larger
ENOUGH SAID: On Wednesday in his Game 5 victory, Misiorowski was again the less-dominant version of himself that emerged in the 2026 playoffs, but that was good enough. He allowed no runs on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings before leaving with a right leg cramp.
Despite struggling with the footing at the landing spot of the pitcher’s mound at Tropicana Field, he induced 10 flyball outs, several of them deep.
The major league strikeout leader (252) worked around command problems high in the zone, but limited walks to mitigate the lack of strikeouts.
The mound ended his night, as he cramped after delivering a pitch and left after a long consultation with training staff.
“Obviously, I don’t want to go out that way, but I left everything on the table, so, so be it,” he said.
DREW IT UP: Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen was on his way home from Tropicana Field after the Rays’ season-preserving 4-3, 12-inning win in Game 4 early Wednesday morning when his phone rang.
With Tampa Bay needing six relievers to consume eight innings on Tuesday, he was needed to start Thursday, pitching on three days’ rest for the first time as a starter.
Rasmussen did well with it, allowing just one run on two hits with four strikeouts in four innings. He threw 36 of 48 pitches for strikes.
He took the loss in the series finale, ending the postseason with a 2-1 record and a 2.20 ERA in five starts.
“He’s a stud,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “His stuff was as sharp as it could have been. We had gone into the game saying it was 60 pitches or four innings. Stuck to that. That was the easiest call in the world to take him out of the ballgame. We’ve worked very hard with all of our pitchers and pride ourselves on doing right by them.
“We knew this was a big ask, but appreciate Drew Rasmussen so much for taking the ball, wanting the ball, and going out and doing what he did.”
ROOKIE RAKES: Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt collected hits in six consecutive at-bats, a record for a rookie in a World Series. He followed up a four-hit night in Game 4 with two hits and two RBIs in Game 5.
The 22-year-old rookie just over four months removed from his major league debut seemed overwhelmed with history as much as champagne afterward.
“I haven’t even had four hits in a game in a long time and I got that yesterday,” Pratt said between splashes of champagne from Brewers Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount. “Somebody said it’s some kind of record, so that’s cool.”
NO BAD STREAKS: The Brewers went 11-2 in the postseason and last lost consecutive games on Sept. 5-6 at Cincinnati.
Is that unbelievable?
“No. We’re that good. It’s expected,” second baseman Brice Turang said.
NOTES: Milwaukee became the fourth straight team to win the World Series on the road. … No team that has fallen behind 0-3 in the World Series has forced a Game 6.
–Brant James, Field Level Media
