Brewers give God the glory after winning franchise’s first World Series title 

The Milwaukee Brewers claimed their first World Series title Wednesday, powered by a faith-guided core of players and strong team chemistry that helped them overcome one of baseball’s lowest payrolls.

The Brewers defeated host Tampa Bay 4-1, earning the first World Series title for a franchise that began in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots before moving to Wisconsin in 1970.

Milwaukee’s $143.5 million payroll ranked 19th among MLB’s 30 teams and was less than half that of more storied franchises such as the New York Mets ($346.8 million), Los Angeles Dodgers ($338 million) and New York Yankees ($304.6 million), which held the top three spots. In fact, the Brewers swept the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.

Milwaukee catcher William Contreras, who batted .381 in the series with four RBIs on his way to being named Most Valuable Player, told a roomful of reporters after the game that God guided the team.

“It was a very blessed year,” Contreras said. “We have to give God a lot of thanks for everything that He’s been able to do for us. We worked very hard for this – from the very beginning in spring training up until now. This is something that we just worked really, really hard for. So to be able to achieve it, it’s special.”

Behind the plate, Contreras slowed Tampa Bay’s running game by throwing out four of nine runners attempting to steal after the Rays had gone a perfect 11-for-11 earlier in the postseason, according to MLB.com. He also helped guide Milwaukee’s pitchers to a 1.91 ERA while holding Tampa Bay hitters to a .182 batting average.

After the Brewers secured the final out Wednesday, Contreras pointed toward heaven in an apparent prayer of thanks.

But Contreras wasn’t the only player fueled by faith. Starting pitcher Dustin May, who struck out eight in five postseason appearances, told CBN Sports before the series that God had given him strength following a 2024 surgery for a torn esophagus.

“My faith with the Lord has grown a lot over the past couple of years, just because I feel like I’ve had to put so much more on His plate, and He’s delivered in every moment,” May said.

Center fielder Garrett Mitchell, who tallied nine hits and a pair of home runs during the playoffs, told CBN Sports he knows God “has a plan” for his life, identifying Jesus as “my Lord and Savior.”

Left-handed reliever Aaron Ashby called Christ his “cornerstone foundation” and, after the series against the Dodgers, said prayer was key to his success on the mound. The lefty threw 18 postseason innings and – incredibly – did not give up a run.

“I was just praying for a little peace in the chaos,” Ashby said after the Brewers swept the Dodgers in front of a raucous Los Angeles crowd.

Milwaukee’s 11-2 playoff record tied for the third-best postseason winning percentage in the wild-card era, which began in 1995. (The 2005 Chicago White Sox and the 1999 New York Yankees each finished 11-1.)

The Brewers’ only other World Series appearance came more than four decades ago, in 1982, when they lost to St. Louis.

(Image credit: Screenshot/X/Fox Sports)