MILWAUKEE — The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers met for Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday at American Family Field, with the Rays leading the best-of-seven series and pressing to close out their first title. Neither franchise had ever won a championship.

The Fall Classic opened last Tuesday with Tampa Bay edging Milwaukee in the first game, a result that guaranteed a first-time champion regardless of the final outcome. Both teams reached the series after lengthy postseason runs, each seeking to end decades of franchise frustration.

The Brewers, powered by their strong home crowd and deep bullpen, needed a win to avoid elimination and force the series to more favourable footing. The Rays leaned on their pitching depth and timely hitting, the same formula that carried them through the American League bracket.

A Rays victory would clinch the title in Milwaukee, while a Brewers win would extend the series and send it toward a decisive finish. Major League Baseball confirmed the Sunday schedule earlier in the week, with the game broadcast nationally.

For Milwaukee, which had never advanced this far since reaching the 1982 World Series as an American League club, the stakes represented a generational opportunity before a sellout home crowd.