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On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers didn't close out the World Series. But they're still in the driver's seat and there's nothing to worry about, yet.
It's easy to get caught up in a loss and overreact after the dominant run the Brewers have had in the playoffs. Milwaukee has played 12 games and has won 10 of them. No team in big league history has swept the Championship Series and the World Series since the LCS expanded to seven games in 1985. The run that Milwaukee has been on has been incredible to see, but even the best lose. The Tampa Bay Rays won 98 games in the American League in 2026 and aren't a pushover. On Tuesday, they got the best of Milwaukee in 12 innings.
But the Brewers certainly don't seem worried. Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy made that point clear on Wednesday night before Game 5.
"Well, [Sal Frelick's] in there doing a crossword," Murphy said when asked how the Brewers have responded to Game 4's loss. "[Cooper Pratt's] playing cards. He's trying to figure out a new card game and [Quinn Priester's] just raking him. I don't know how much he's winning over him, but he's just raking him. ... That's all I've seen so far. We're locked in."
How have the #Brewers responded to what happened last night? Pat Murphy says the team is locked in.
— Cameron Ezeir (@camezeir) October 28, 2026
The proof? This is how he can tell 😂 pic.twitter.com/BjMEZR32tz
At first glance, this may seem silly. Crosswords and cards before a playoff game. What are they thinking? This is arguably for the best. This is a clear sign that the Brewers aren't getting too worked up or getting tight in the clubhouse.
This is a club that has played loose all season up to this point. Now isn't the time to change that. Milwaukee had a three-game series lead. Now, it's down to two. That's still pretty great in the World Series. In the regular season, the Brewers won 103 games. But they also lost 59 games. In the playoffs, they have lost twice. Losses are going to happen, but it's about how you respond. All season, the Brewers have never gotten too high, or too low. That's what they need to continue to do in order to wrap up this World Series and win the title.
They cannot change now and they clearly haven't. On Wednesday night, Milwaukee will face off against the Rays once again. The Brewers will send Jacob Misiorowski to the hill. If they play their game, they will be just fine and will come out on top.