Five Iconic World Series Moments Since the Brewers' Appearance

The Milwaukee Brewers are making their first World Series appearance since 1982. Besides the 44-year gap, it was so long ago that the franchise represented the American League.  The last time around, winning a World Series only required winning two rounds. It’s also hard to ignore how the Brewers' previous appearance predates interleague play, universal DH, and the pitch clock. 

When Milwaukee joined the National League in 1998, MLB realigned the divisions to make room for the Rays and Diamondbacks. Tampa Bay, playing in their third WS,  just happens to be the team representing the American League. 

In the four-plus decades since Milwaukee last played in the WS, baseball fans have witnessed some crazy and unforgettable WS moments. We’re talking about things like the 86-year Curse of the Bambino being lifted and a massive earthquake forcing major schedule changes.  

With baseball getting ready to crown its next world champion, here is a look back at five hard-to-forget World Series moments that have unfolded since the early eighties. 

What Counts As An Unforgettable World Series Moment?

Singling out five World Series moments over 40-plus years was far from an easy task. Instead of looking at successful title defenses, this list includes:

• Teams ending historical title droughts 
• Walk-off wins 
• Breaking news 
• Curses 

5. 2016: Cubs End 108-Year World Series Drought 

Hey Brewers fans, if you think you’ve had it rough waiting for that first World Series title, reach out to the Chicago Cubs fanbase. Prior to the 2016 season, one of them might’ve said: “I’ve been waiting so long to see the Cubs win a World Series that it predates World War I.” There is also a very good chance that the individual’s grandparents weren’t even born in 1908. 

The championship season also predates the Brewers, who were originally known as the Seattle Pilots, by 61 years. Even the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs won multiple championships during that 108-year gap. 

By finally winning the 2016 World Series, the Cubs removed themselves from the list of longest title droughts. If the Brewers have anything to say about it, they’ll be the next team to climb their way out.

4. 1986: Ball Rolls Through Bill Buckner’s Legs 

When talking about the 1986 World Series, unless you’re a New York Mets fan, the actual winner typically isn’t the first thing that people remember. Boston entered Game 6 holding a 3-2 series advantage.

Game 6 was tied 5-5 in the 10th inning, and Mookie Wilson hit what seemed like a routine grounder to first until it rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs and allowed Ray Knight to score the game-winning run. New York went on to win Game 7. While Buckner’s blooper seemed like an unforgivable offense, Red Sox fans eventually forgave the former first baseman. 

3. 1988 Heroic Performance: Kirk Gibson’s Walk-Off Home Run

Even though this moment took place in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series, it remains one of the most famous home runs that’s still exciting to watch nearly 40 years later.  Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Kirk Gibson couldn’t start the game after injuring both legs in the NLCS. With L.A. trailing the Oakland A’s 4-3 in the ninth inning and the team being down to their final out, Manager Tommy Lasorda sent Gibson to the plate. 

With future Hall-of-Famer Dennis Eckersley pitching for the Oakland A’s, Gibson quickly fell behind 0-2 before working it to a 3-2 count. With a runner on, a base hit would’ve tied the game and sent it to extra innings. Gibson went for the much more dramatic finish of a walk-off dinger that included him hobbling around the bases. The Dodgers defeated the A’s in five games.

2. 2004: Farewell Curse of the Bambino 

Whether or not you believe in curses, the Curse of the Bambino haunted the Red Sox and their fans for 86 seasons. The idea of Boston selling the rights to Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees still sounds absolutely crazy today. After winning the 1918 World Series, the final one with the Bambino, Boston went on an extremely long World Series drought. That included four WS appearances, each of which they lost. 

However, curses can be cured. 

Finally, at the 2004 World Series, Red Sox fans could finally celebrate by pulling out the brooms. Boston swept the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-0, and the Curse of the Bambino was officially lifted. 

When Game 4 ended with a 3-0 Boston win, you could hear Joe Buck say, “For the first time since 1918, the Boston Red Sox are champions of baseball.”

1. 1989: Loma Prieta earthquake halts World Series broadcast

Yes, Earthquakes do happen in California, but nobody ever expects one to literally shake the World Series off course. Go back and watch the television clips of Game 3 of the 1989 Bay Area series between the A’s and San Francisco Giants. Al Michaels, Tim McCarver, and Jim Palmer are on the air doing the pregame rundown. The broadcast feed suddenly goes to black, but as it’s being cut off, you can hear Michaels saying, “I’ll tell you what, we are having an earth…”  

The Loma Prieta earthquake had a magnitude of 6.9 and lasted 20 seconds. It took place at 5:04 p.m. on October 17, 31 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. When the broadcast returned, players could be seen trying to find their families. The natural disaster forced MLB to postpone the World Series for 10 days. When the games finally resumed, the A’s completed the sweep of the Giants. 

Will The 2026 World Series Produce A Memorable Story? 

The 2026 World Series is absolutely going to be a memorable story for the Brewers or Rays, as one of these franchises is finally going to see its name removed from the list of MLB franchises that have never won a World Series title. 

Equally as intriguing is the fact that baseball’s top two regular season teams are going head-to-head. Based on MLB betting odds, the Brewers are a slight -160 favorite to win the WS over the Rays (+140).