The essentials
The Rays lost Game 5 to the Brewers, remaining one of four MLB teams never to win a World Series.
The Tampa Bay Rays remain one of four Major League Baseball teams that have never won a World Series after losing the 2026 championship to the Milwaukee Brewers in five games. Milwaukee won Game 5 4-1 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The series was Tampa Bay's third World Series appearance. The Rays had previously appeared in two World Series and lost both.
Tampa Bay reached the final round with a 98-64 regular season that won the AL East, a sweep of the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series, and a six-game win over the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Championship Series.
The Rays extended the series with a 4-3 win in 12 innings in Game 4, in which Ben Williamson's single drove in the winning run. In Game 5, Tampa Bay's only run came in the ninth inning.
The available reporting does not detail the full sequence of pitching changes or the specifics of how the Rays scored in Game 5.
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Rays' Championship Search Extends After Third World Series Loss
From a franchise-history perspective, the loss adds another chapter to Tampa Bay's search for a first title. The Rays have now lost all three World Series they have appeared in, and they remain among four clubs without a championship. Their path to the final round ran through a 98-64 regular season, a Yankees sweep, and a six-game Guardians series, but the series ended in a Game 5 defeat.
Game 4 Comeback Kept Rays Alive but Could Not Extend Series
Viewed through the series itself, Tampa Bay's most notable stretch was the Game 4 victory. A 12-inning, 4-3 win forced a Game 5 after the Rays had trailed 3-0, and it showed the team could win in extra innings. Game 5 ended differently, with a 4-1 loss and a single ninth-inning run. Whether that comeback marks a turning point for the club's championship hopes is a question this result does not answer.