By STEVE MEGARGEE AP Sports Writer
MILWAUKEE (AP) — It was only fitting that the Milwaukee Brewers celebrated their first World Series title with a beer-soaked celebration worthy of their name.
“We’ve had way too many parade beers,” team captain and designated hitter Christian Yelich said Friday at a rally that capped a daylong party with fans. “I took the trophy to the face, got a black eye. It’s all worth it. It’s for you guys. We should celebrate forever.”
The small-market Brewers gave their long-suffering fans the championship they had been waiting for with a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, clinching the Series in five games. It was their first time playing in the Fall Classic in 44 years.
That long wait made Friday’s celebration that much sweeter.
“Unbelievable,” said parade attendee Mark Diedrich, a 76-year-old who has been an on-and-off partial season ticket holder since the 1980s. “You just never thought it would happen. But it did.”
Before the rally at American Family Insurance Amphitheater near the shore of Lake Michigan, the Brewers held a parade through downtown Milwaukee. Thousands of exuberant fans flooded the streets, watched from parking garages and cheered from office building windows.
Milwaukee city officials were expecting about 400,000 people to attend the parade and celebration.
“That was incredible — incredible,” manager Pat Murphy said. “I kept thinking I saw the same people over and over, and we were just going in a circle. There’s no way there’s that many people who live here.”
Then came a rally that featured World Series MVP William Contreras joining in on the fans’ “MVP” chants.
“We win the trophy for you guys, for the city,” Contreras said.
The rally concluded with hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach performing a karaoke version of “Stacy’s Mom” by Fountains of Wayne and Hall of Fame shortstop Robin Yount riding onto the stage on a Harley Davidson owned by beloved broadcaster Bob Uecker.
Taking time to honor Uecker
Yount was an MVP when the Brewers made their last World Series appearance, losing in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. By the time they got back, it was without Uecker, who called Brewers games for 54 seasons before dying in January 2025 at the age of 90.
The Brewers made sure he was remembered. The parade route ran through a downtown mural honoring Uecker, and 2011 MVP Ryan Braun led a “Ueck” cheer during the rally.
“God bless you, Bob Uecker,” Yount said at the end of the ceremony.
At the parade, Brewers players, coaches and staffers waved to fans from the top of buses, some of which bore the message, “Won Our Way,” to update their postseason slogan of “Win Our Way.” Several players, such as outfielder Sal Frelick and second baseman Brice Turang, removed their shirts in a nod to this seasons’ MLB-wide “Tarps Off” craze as they exhorted the crowd.
Players took turns holding the Commissioner’s Trophy aloft, with many of them getting off their buses and greeting fans.
“For me and my teammates, this has been the most special day of our lives — you guys showing up here and cheering us on,” said Aaron Ashby, who set a major league record by throwing 18 consecutive scoreless innings of relief in the postseason to lead Milwaukee’s stellar bullpen performance. “This is better than anything we could ever imagine.”
Every level of the Brewers franchise was represented in the parade, from owner Mark Attanasio to grounds crew members, behind-the-scenes staff and even the Johnsonville racing sausages. Yount and fellow Hall of Famers Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor and Ted Simmons from that 1982 team also participated in the parade and rally.
“Good things come to those who wait,” Molitor said. “We waited long enough.”
Celebration brings out fans of all ages
The end of that wait had families bringing multiple generations of fans downtown, as Milwaukee Public Schools canceled classes.
Craig Muehl, a 42-year-old from the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, said he inherited his Brewers fandom from his father. Muehl woke up early to attend the parade with his young son and daughter.
“It all started, just like many families around here, sitting outside in the summer and fall,” Muehl said. “My dad had the Brewers game on the radio everywhere we went. Some families have music on the radio. We had the Brewers games all summer long.”
Kasey Diedrich said her father, Mark, attended his first Brewers game as a 4-year-old in 1983, the year after that previous World Series appearance. Little did he know at the time how long he would have to wait for the Brewers to make it back.
“I don’t think we still think it happened,” Diedrich said. “It seems like a dream.”
Mark Diedrich said he owns the seats from the old Milwaukee County Stadium where he and one of his sons were sitting when Yount got his 3,000th hit in 1992.
“We could tell you stories for days of all the games we went to,” Mark Diedrich said. “I remember going to opening day with these guys and there was ice on the steps of County Stadium. We’re sitting down to get ready for the game and a guy’s spreading salt to melt the ice on the steps.”
Bringing the trophy to Lambeau Field
The celebration actually started well before Friday.
Several Brewers, including Yelich and Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski, went to Lambeau Field for Thursday night’s Green Bay Packers game. They received a huge ovation, especially when pitcher Brandon Woodruff emerged from the tunnel in the second quarter holding the Commissioner’s Trophy.
A few players attempted a “Lambeau leap” into the crowd, with Frelick having the most success.
“It was unbelievable,” said Frelick, a former high school quarterback. “It’s been a dream of mine. I was in the end zone, I saw it, and I said, ‘I’ve got to go.’ So I went.”
Those Brewers players later were shown on the video board cheering as they wore cheeseheads that included the message, “2026 WS Champions.”
The current franchise originated as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers the following year.
Milwaukee has celebrated a World Series title once before. The Milwaukee Braves won the 1957 World Series over the New York Yankees before moving to Atlanta in 1966.
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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this story.
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