Rays End 98-Game Season With Loss to Brewers in World Series Game 5

The Tampa Bay Rays lost their final opportunity to win the World Series on Wednesday night, falling 4-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5 at Tropicana Field.

The loss ended the Rays' season with a 98-78 record, the best in the American League. The team finished three victories away from the championship after losing the best-of-seven series 3-2.

Before the season began, sportsoddshistory.com listed the Rays at 80-to-1 odds to win the World Series. That price tag would have made them the most unlikely champions since the Minnesota Twins won the title 35 years ago.

The Rays started the year with a 2-5 record. They lost three starting pitchers during the season: Ryan Pepiot, Steven Matz, and Shane McClanahan. Despite those absences, the team won 98 games.

Principal owner Patrick Zalupski said the players and coaches wanted the title as badly as anyone. "It’s a tough, tough, tough way to finish," Zalupski said. "But you’ve got to look back and say what a storybook season."

The series featured a 12-inning Game 4 that lasted nearly four and a half hours. The Rays won that game 4-3, using 15 pitchers and 367 pitches. That victory kept the team in the series and set the stage for the final game.

Centerfielder Jonny DeLuca acknowledged the disappointment of losing but emphasized the team's unity. "We’re all very competitive in here, so that part of us is definitely bummed that we lost," DeLuca said. "But we can also appreciate what we did, how we came together, how far we came."

Closer Bryan Baker described the group as one of the closest-knit teams he has been part of. "I think we’re all going to be a little sad in the next couple of days when we’re not showing up to the park to play together," Baker said.

The Rays swept the New York Yankees in the Division Series. They beat the Cleveland Guardians in the League Championship Series, coming from behind in two games. Pitcher Freddy Peralta, who joined the team mid-season, said the group will stay in touch during the offseason.

Manager Kevin Cash told the team in the clubhouse that he was proud of their character and the bond they formed. The players left the field after the final out of the series, ending a season that began with low expectations and ended with a national stage.