ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Since the 2026 playoffs began, we've been using words like "relentless" and "inevitable" when it comes to the Milwaukee Brewers. As they finished their coronation in Game 5 with a 4-1 victory over the Rays to take the series and win their first title in franchise history, it's pretty clear that the Brewers were the team of destiny from early in the season. 

Game 5 on Wednesday never really felt like the Rays' night. Their pitching situation was dire after needing to use Nick Martinez in Game 4. The offense was dealing with Jacob Misiorowski and a full Brewers bullpen of studs. Junior Caminero was compromised and Yandy Díaz would join him. It just never felt like it was going to be their night and it wasn't, because of course it wasn't. It was the Brewers' night. The Brewers' series. The Brewers' season. 

It took some longer than others to see it, myself admittedly included. They struggled in two different spans in April, with a six-game losing streak and later a four-game losing streak. That was about it, though. After a loss on May 4 dropped them to 18-16, the Brewers went absolutely bonkers the rest of the season: 85-43. And now they've completed an 11-2 playoff run against stacked competition. That means they finished 96-45. Holy smokes. 

It's a misnomer to act like this is some ragtag bunch; a motley crew, island of the misfit toys collection of big-league players. The Brewers have stars. They have a former MVP in Christian Yelich and, though he's past his prime, he was a quality contributor in the playoffs. Jacob Misiorowski is going to win the National League Cy Young. Jackson Chourio is an emerging superstar. William Contreras is an All-Star catcher. Brice Turang is arguably the best second baseman in baseball.

The Brewers are such a well-rounded bunch and the front office thrives on winning on the margins, which is why some might slap inappropriate labels on them, such as the little engine that could. That doesn't begin to cover it. They are, in fact, a team of destiny getting contributions from all over the place. 

• Cooper Pratt had a whopping four hits in Game 4, including a game-tying double in the fourth inning. And, of course, he hit the home run in the top of the 12th inning. Even in a Brewers loss, that game and this series has served as a coming-out party for the youngster who the Brewers have locked up through 2033. He had the go-ahead hit in Game 2. He had two hits and two RBI in Game 5. He was all over with winning plays.
• David Hamilton hit a game-tying home run in Game 4 from the nine-hole in the lineup and then an RBI single in Game 5. He was acquired from the Red Sox in the deal that sent Caleb Durbin to Boston along with Shane Drohan -- who also contributed in the playoffs -- and Kyle Harrison. 
• Robert Gasser squared off against former Brewers ace Freddy Peralta in Game 3, facing the minimum in his six scoreless innings of one-hit ball. Gasser started the season in the minors. 
• Sal Frelick only had four regular-season home runs and hit the game-tying shot in Game 2. 
• What can we even say about the bullpen? The entire group was dominant, but especially Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, Trevor Megill, DL Hall and JoJo Romero. Ashby was the star here, but the entire group was great. Credit Antonio Senzatela with some big outs, too.
• Garrett Mitchell hit the go-ahead home run in Game 4 of the NLCS to help the Brewers sweep the Dodgers. 
• Who could forget the Jake Bauers story? He was ready to retire from baseball and decided his family needed to stay on the insurance. He won NLCS MVP.

There are more examples, of course. It was just a team full of winners. No matter what obstacle popped up for the Brewers this season, and especially in the playoffs, they reacted by winning. For crying out loud, they scored eight runs with two outs in the World Series. That was off-the-charts outrageous in Game 3.

Then there were the injuries. Yelich and Chourio missed time. Quinn Priester was lost for the season in spring training. Brandon Woodruff missed most of the year before making the World Series roster. With these injuries, in addition to the trade of Peralta, the door was open for players like Drohan, Gasser and Logan Henderson to make the most of their opportunities. 

That's just what happens with teams of destiny. It's that ol' "next man up" mentality. The Brewers have been practicing this for years, trading away established veterans before they reach free agency and immediately replacing them with inexperienced players or even retreads like Jake Bauers who are ready to step in. For every player out the door, there's someone else ready to shine.

The Brewers just won 11 playoff games and came from behind to win six times. That's beyond ridiculous. Overall, teams scoring first in the playoffs were 27-13. Milwaukee accounted for six of the losses in there, bludgeoning its opponents even after falling behind.

The "destiny" thumbprints were all over this series. Even in their Game 4 loss, they just kept coming. And they responded to that loss by getting ace-level work from Misiorowski in Game 5 and putting up run-scoring rallies in three of the first six innings. They didn't need any home runs. They strung together winning plays on singles and doubles and sacrifice flies. They can win on home runs, too, as they've done a few times this postseason. They just find ways to win, almost every time. Their starters, bullpen, defense and clutch hitting are just too good. That's what it takes to win, and the Brewers won it all.

I mentioned the early struggles at the start of the season. They closed in opposite fashion. Including the playoffs, the Brewers were 26-5 after Sept. 6. They had established themselves as the best team in baseball from May 4 until early September, and then went into overdrive. How is it even possible for a 103-win team to level up and get better? 

Relentless. Inevitable. The team of destiny. Milwaukee Brewers, World Series champions.