Sports News

Brewers win their first World Series: an underdog story, or proof against a salary cap?

The Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, their first championship since the franchise was founded in 1969 and their first appearance in the Fall Classic in 44 years, The Japan Times reports. The Rays had kept the series alive in Game 4, coming back after Milwaukee took a lead in the 12th inning, but the Brewers still led 3-1.

ABC News (Australia) called it an underdog story for “small-ball” Brewers who play in the smallest market in the majors. Earlier, The Japan Times had highlighted Jackson Chourio, who went 4-for-5 in the Game 3 rout.

In The Guardian, columnist Howard Bryant took a sharper line. He wrote that the title was a rebuke to the game's owners, who have argued that small-market teams cannot compete. That argument sits at the heart of the coming offseason, when owners want players to accept a salary cap. He noted that the Brewers spent 149 days of the season at the top of the standings.

How each outlet framed it

• The Japan Times — the history: 44 years since the last World Series and the first title.
• ABC News (Australia) — the underdog: the smallest market winning with small ball.
• The Guardian — the argument: a low-budget champion “exposed baseball's biggest lie”.

What we don't know yet: how the title will affect the labour talks. The Japan Times reports MLB is heading into an offseason of uncertainty with a lockout looming over the salary cap.