LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions for the first time. Milwaukee defeated the Tampa Bay Rays last night 4 to 1 in Game 5 of the series. Steve Futterman reports from St. Petersburg, Florida.
STEVE FUTTERMAN, BYLINE: It was a moment more than a half century in the making. And the thousands of Milwaukee Brewer fans who made the pilgrimage here to Florida to watch their team play made the most of it. At times, they took over the stadium with chants of let's go, Brewers.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Let's go, Brewers. Let's go, Brewers.
(CHEERING)
FUTTERMAN: The Milwaukee Brewers franchise began playing in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots. A year later, it moved to Milwaukee. In the years since, there had been moments when the Brewers were close to being baseball's best. But it never happened until last night.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: Two-one pitch, Palacios.
(SOUNDBITE OF BASEBALL HITTING)
UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: Grounds one softly - unshakable, unstoppable, and champions at last, the Milwaukee Brewers.
FUTTERMAN: That's what the final out sounded like on Fox. It set off a wild celebration. Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt was one of the most unlikely heroes. He came up from the minor leagues only in June. But during the series, the 22-year-old played like a veteran, with eight hits and seven RBIs. In the victorious locker room, with champagne being sprayed everywhere, he was overwhelmed.
COOPER PRATT: This is unbelievable. We just won the first World Series in Brewers history. I was only here for four months, but a lot of these guys have been here for a long time.
FUTTERMAN: What is it about this team? You've only been here for a few months, but what did you learn about this team that allowed them to do this?
PRATT: There's no quit, there's no quit. And all we want to do is win. And we did that tonight. And we're the world champions.
FUTTERMAN: And what's going through your heart and mind right now?
PRATT: We're world champions. I'm just - I got to figure out which ring I want, which finger I want it on.
FUTTERMAN: As for those Brewer fans, they, too, were overcome with emotion. Chris Lesperance (ph) made the trip here with his family.
CHRIS LESPERANCE: This is fantastic, baby, I love it. This is like long time coming. Doesn't get no better than this.
FUTTERMAN: Julian Cole (ph) from Appleton, Wisconsin, said she cried when the game ended.
JULIAN COLE: It means everything, really.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) Let's go, Brewers. Let's go, Brewers.
COLE: This is family. This is love. And this is Wisconsin right here, everybody banding together. So it means everything to me.
FUTTERMAN: Amidst all the postgame celebration, baseball now faces a period of uncertainty. A contentious labor battle looms between MLB owners who want a salary cap and players who don't want any limits on pay. The current union contract expires in December, and a lockout could follow, with a work stoppage possibly lingering into next season. But for the Brewers, that's the last thing on their mind right now. They are preparing for a victory parade tomorrow in Milwaukee.
For NPR News, I'm Steve Futterman in St. Petersburg, Florida. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.