ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays won 98 games, a division title and an American League pennant this season by simply being better than their opponents in so many facets of the game.
They played cleaner baseball. They were better in situational hitting. Their pitchers frustrated opposing lineups.
Then they ran into a Brewers club that had many of the same strengths and were just stronger during the World Series, which concluded Wednesday with the Rays’ 4-1 loss in Game 5 at Tropicana Field.
Many Rays acknowledged after the final game of the 2026 MLB season that they had been bested by a uniquely special group.
“I was just saying that is one of the best teams I've seen at any level, in any sport, to be honest,” said closer Bryan Baker.
Yet, the pain of the defeat was evident in the teary eyes and sullen faces throughout Tampa Bay’s clubhouse. They knew they had a special group, too, and if just a few things were different, perhaps this series would have turned out differently as well.
Here are three key reasons why the American League’s top team this season came up short against the National League’s best.
Game 2 miscues loom large
Both of these teams succeeded this season in part because they knew how not to beat themselves. They stressed the fundamentals. They did the little things right. But in Game 2, the Rays made multiple uncharacteristic mistakes that ended up costing them a chance to tie the series at 1.
First baseman Jonathan Aranda missed a foul popup that continued an at-bat that resulted in an RBI single. Aranda was credited with an error a few innings later when a grounder went through his legs and led to another run. Catcher Liam Hicks got thrown out at the plate on a single to left, and outfielder Chandler Simpson had a ball pop out of his glove for a hit, although that didn’t lead to any greater damage.
Milwaukee wasn’t perfect either. But it’s easier to overlook that when you’re the world champs. When you fall by one run, as the Rays did in Games 1 and 2, those flubs become magnified.
“We didn't play our best,” veteran starter and pending free agent Nick Martinez said. “They played really well. Even when we played well, we didn't have our bounces go our way or calls go our way, just little things -- and that's part of it.”
Brewers had timely hitting and hit all the time
The outcome of those first two games could have also been different if the Rays picked up one more timely hit. They did strand the tying run on third base in both contests after all.
For the series, the Rays were just 8-for-35 (.229) with runners in scoring position, and three of those hits occurred during their 12th-inning rally in Game 4. It was a far cry from the regular season, when the Rays’ .283 average in RISP situations was the best in the Majors. Meanwhile, the Brewers went 17-for-52 (.327) in those situations during the Fall Classic.
“It felt like their whole lineup, almost one through nine, was kind of rolling at the same time, which is really hard to deal with as a pitching staff,” Baker said.
All the arms struggled
Whether it was starters or relievers, the Rays had their hands full with Milwaukee all series long. Rasmussen, the bona fide ace, made two starts and allowed four earned runs on eight hits over 7 2/3 innings. Freddy Peralta, who was phenomenal in the Rays’ run up to the World Series, gave up five runs in 4 2/3 innings during a 10-1 blowout loss in Game 3.
And the starting pitching edge was supposed to side with the Rays in this series. The Brewers always held the upper hand in the battle of the bullpens, and that played out as expected: The Crew’s relief corps had a 1.48 ERA across 24 1/3 innings while Tampa Bay’s had a 4.38 ERA through 24 2/3 innings.
Overall, the Rays’ team ERA in this series was nearly three runs higher than Milwaukee’s -- 4.89 to 1.91.
“They're just all really good,” outfielder Jonny DeLuca said of the Brewers’ pitchers. “[It feels like] they all throw 100. They're all around the zone. They all have secondary pitches. It's just a really good bullpen, and so that's kind of what made them dangerous, along with a really good lineup.”
The Brewers outplayed the Rays. They pitched better. They hit better.
Many Rays admitted as much after Game 5. But that didn’t reduce any of the sting or the sadness that could be found in all corners of their clubhouse.
“It doesn't matter if it's the greatest team to ever be assembled on dirt, you still want to go out there as a competitor and beat the best of the best,” reliever Cam Booser said. “I don't think anything makes it easier to stomach a loss. I think it's just going to hurt no matter who the opponent is. So I think you feel the pain, understand what it means and try to use it as motivation for next year.”