The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions for the first time in franchise history, and one former Cleveland ace was among the first to celebrate. Milwaukee beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 at Tropicana Field on Wednesday night to finish off the series in five games, ending a championship wait that stretched back to the franchise’s first season as the Seattle Pilots in 1969. Jacob Misiorowski threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, Jackson Chourio set a record for hits in a five-game World Series, and rookie Cooper Pratt drove in two runs. It was a fitting finish for a team that won 103 games during the regular season.
Moments after the final out, CC Sabathia took to social media to congratulate the city where he left a lasting mark.
“World Series Champions for the first time ever!! Soak it all in Milwaukee,” Sabathia posted.
World Series Champions for the first time ever!! Soak it all in Milwaukee!!!
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) October 29, 2026
Sabathia spent only half a season with the Brewers, but it was one of the most memorable stretches in Milwaukee history. Cleveland traded him to the Brewers in July 2008, during his final season before free agency. He took over from there, going 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA over seventeen starts and throwing seven complete games. He made several of his final starts on short rest and pitched a complete game on the last day of the regular season to help Milwaukee clinch its first playoff berth since 1982. The Brewers lost to the Phillies in the division series that fall, but Sabathia’s run is still remembered as the moment that brought October baseball back to Milwaukee.
Before that, he was a Cleveland star. The franchise drafted Sabathia in the first round in 1998, and he debuted in 2001, striking out 171 batters as a rookie. That total stood as the second most by a rookie in franchise history until Parker Messick passed it this season with 193 strikeouts. Sabathia went on to win the American League Cy Young Award with Cleveland in 2007, then signed with the Yankees after the 2008 season and won a World Series in New York in 2009. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2025.
The 2008 trade also had a lasting impact in Cleveland. One of the players the Guardians received in the deal was Michael Brantley, who developed into an All-Star outfielder and one of the most consistent hitters in the organization over the next decade.
There were other Cleveland connections in this year’s Fall Classic. Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers, who earned a spot on The Athletic’s All-LCS team, came to Cleveland in the 2018 trade that sent Yandy Díaz to Tampa Bay. Díaz was one of the Rays’ best hitters in the ALCS against the Guardians.
For Guardians fans, watching another franchise celebrate its first championship stings a bit. Cleveland’s own drought now stands at 78 years, and the Guardians came within two wins of reaching this year’s World Series before falling to the Rays in six games. The Brewers’ run is proof that a team built on pitching and young talent can go all the way.
Sabathia knows what it means to bring hope to a city waiting for a winner. Cleveland is hoping it gets to celebrate the same way soon.
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