ST. PETERSBURG -- The phone didn’t ring for Aaron Ashby in the ninth inning of Wednesday’s Game 5 of the World Series, but the Brewers’ star reliever made sure that he was ready to pitch anyway, cradling a ball in his glove as the last out was recorded.
Down in Milwaukee’s bullpen, the motto all year has been to link arms and “hold the line” once the game enters their hands. For the final time in 2026, the Brewers did just that, allowing Ashby to leap with joy and join his fellow relievers in a sprint they’ll never forget.
“To be able to do this as a team -- I know I keep saying best friends, but we’re literally all just the best of friends,” Ashby said after Milwaukee’s 4-1 victory over the Rays at Tropicana Field to capture a World Series title. “The season we had, the postseason that these guys had, it’s one of the most special things I’ve ever been part of in my life.”
And if Ashby hadn’t performed the way he did this postseason, there’s a good chance the Brewers wouldn’t have been popping corks in the Trop’s visiting clubhouse deep into Thursday morning.
Ashby recorded seven outs across a perfect 31-pitch appearance in Game 4 to reach 18 scoreless playoff innings. That surpassed Andrew Miller for the longest such streak by a reliever in a single postseason.
“Incredible. He made history,” said World Series MVP William Contreras. “He's my brother; all the guys that are down there in the bullpen are my brothers. Ashby in particular, what's special about him is he throws one inning and he wants the next one and he wants to keep going.”
In addition to eclipsing Miller’s record, Ashby became the only pitcher in playoff history to record at least five outs in seven or more consecutive scoreless appearances. No one else has more than five such games.
“He was one of the MVPs, for sure,” said manager Pat Murphy. “He took the ball every night, didn't make any excuses. Wasn't worried about his number, wasn't worried about his role. Wasn't worried about saves or holds or anything like that.
“He was worried about one thing -- the Milwaukee Brewers winning. When you've got guys on your team like that, it's special.”
The longest postseason scoreless streak of any kind was 33 1/3 innings by Yankees closer Mariano Rivera from 1998-2000. Miller’s single-postseason streak was part of a run that spanned three postseasons and 24 1/3 innings, culminating in a 16-inning scoreless string for Cleveland in 2016.
“He’s on one of those runs where he just feels good, everything’s going right, and you just try to ride that out as long as you can,” said Miller, who attended the World Series as a member of the MLBPA’s leadership team.
Like Miller, Ashby converted from a starter to a reliever after struggling and missing all of 2023 due to left shoulder surgery. Since 2025, Ashby has thrived in that role, producing a 2.71 ERA over 118 appearances.
He was even sharper this postseason, recording three saves in nine outings, making three appearances in each series against the Padres, Dodgers and Rays.
“I think I quit trying to squeeze it so tight,” Ashby said. “There’s been times in postseasons past and seasons past when I’ve tried to do too much. I’ve gotten sped up.
“At the beginning of this postseason, I just said a prayer. There’s inevitably chaos in every game. I was just trying to feel peaceful, and I felt that.”
In the World Series, Ashby appeared in Games 1, 2 and 4, hurling 5 2/3 innings of one-hit ball. Overall, Ashby permitted just five hits across Milwaukee’s three playoff rounds, with three walks and 20 strikeouts.
When Trevor Megill induced Richie Palacios to ground out to end the World Series, Ashby wasn’t surprised. Consider the line held -- and it was a group effort.
“If you take a single piece out of this team, it’s not the same,” Ashby said. “Everyone had different contributions throughout the year. I don’t know that you can remove anyone from this team and we’re here. I think that’s what makes this thing so special.”