Milwaukee finally got its party. The Brewers rolled through downtown with the Commissioner's Trophy on Friday, two days after they beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 to win the first World Series title in franchise history.

City officials expected about 400,000 people for the parade and the rally that followed near the shore of Lake Michigan. Fans packed the streets, filled parking garages and cheered from office windows as players waved from the tops of buses. Milwaukee Public Schools canceled classes so families could be there.

"We've had way too many parade beers," team captain Christian Yelich told the crowd. "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."

"Won Our Way"

The buses carried an updated version of the team's postseason slogan. "Win Our Way" became "Won Our Way." Sal Frelick and Brice Turang pulled their shirts off as they fired up the crowd. Players took turns lifting the trophy and many hopped off the buses to greet fans.

Manager Pat Murphy said he kept thinking he was seeing the same faces over and over, as if the buses were driving in a circle. "There's no way there's that many people who live here," he said.

World Series MVP William Contreras joined in when fans chanted "MVP" at the rally. "We win the trophy for you guys, for the city," he said.

Reliever Aaron Ashby set a major league record this postseason with 18 straight scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He called the parade "the most special day of our lives" for him and his teammates.

The 1982 team was there too

Hall of Famers Robin Yount, Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor and Ted Simmons rode in the parade. They played on the 1982 team that lost the World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games. Milwaukee had not been back to the Fall Classic until this year.

"Good things come to those who wait," Molitor said. "We waited long enough."

The route passed a downtown mural of Bob Uecker, the broadcaster who called Brewers games for 54 seasons before he died in January 2025 at age 90. Yount rode onto the stage on a Harley-Davidson that belonged to Uecker. "God bless you, Bob Uecker," he said as the rally ended. Hitting coach Daniel Vogelbach also sang a karaoke version of "Stacy's Mom."

A party that started at Lambeau

The celebration began a night earlier in Green Bay. Several Brewers went to Thursday's Packers game at Lambeau Field and got a huge ovation when pitcher Brandon Woodruff walked out of the tunnel with the trophy. A few players tried a Lambeau Leap into the stands.

"It was unbelievable," said Frelick, a former high school quarterback who had the best leap of the group. "It's been a dream of mine."