They were deemed too young and unheralded and when October arrived, the Milwaukee Brewers were generally portrayed as underdogs, a moniker to which they’ve grown accustomed. Yet they won 103 regular-season games and the World Series. Now, for the first time, they warrant a different label: champions.
The Brewers dispatched the Tampa Bay Rays and capped a dominant run through the postseason with a 4-1 victory at Tropicana Field in Game 5, cementing the first title in the franchise’s 57-year history in front of tens of thousands of fans who made the 1,300-mile trek from Milwaukee.
A Brewers team that carried baseball’s 19th-highest payroll, ranked 28th in home runs and was widely viewed as the type of club that could not thrive this time of year went 11-2 in the playoffs, surviving a tension-filled National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres before overwhelming the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series and racing past the similarly unsung Rays in the final round.
Their roster includes a number of athletes who openly credit their faith in Christ as the foundation of their peace and purpose and how their faith in Christ shapes their lives on and off the field.
Here are just a few of the Christian players ion the Brewers teams who aren’t shy about sharing their faith.
William Contreras- Catcher, World Series MVP
Contreras helped power the Brewers’ championship run with a .373 postseason average, three home runs, and nine RBIs in 13 games — capped by hitting .381 and driving in four runs against Tampa Bay to earn World Series MVP honors. “This was a very blessed year,” Contreras told a room full of reporters after the game. “You know, it was a year that we have to give God a lot of thanks for everything that He’s been able to do for us. We worked very hard for this from the very beginning in spring training up until now. Throughout these playoffs, I’ve been talking a lot with God, asking Him to keep me healthy for the games.”
Brice Turang- Second baseman and shortstop
Turang is a two-time Gold Glove winner and is in his fourth year in Major League Baseball, all with the Brewers. “The highs and lows of life — and just being able to love Him every day, and the amount of grace and forgiveness that He gives us. I mean — I wouldn’t be here without Him,” Turang told CBN Sports.
Dustin May- Right-handed starting pitcher
May is in his seventh year in the league, but has seen his career be interrupted by major elbow surgeries and a life-threatening esophageal tear that required emergency surgery in 2024. He was traded to the Brewers from St. Louis this season. “My faith with the Lord has grown a lot over the past couple of years, just because I feel like I’ve had to put so much more on His plate, and He’s delivered in every moment,” May said. “Being able to, for one, keep a jersey on my back and give me the ability to come back year in and year out, and to be able to be here with my wife — [who’s] been there by my side and seen the lows that I’ve been in. It’s definitely incredible to have both of them in my corner.”
Aaron Ashby- Left-handed reliever
Ashby is in his fifth major league season — all with the Brewers — and has played a key role in Milwaukee’s postseason run. Ashby powered the Brewers to an NLCS series’ sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he told a televised audience that prayer was key to giving him peace on the mound.
“I wouldn’t be here without that,” Ashby told CBN Sports, referencing his faith. “It’s such a special thing to me and my family, our faith. To be able to really rely on that in these moments has been so cool. The amount of peace that I didn’t think I would feel but I do feel has been overwhelming and undeniable. To have that cornerstone foundation for myself has been the most important thing this postseason.”
Garrett Mitchell-Centerfielder
Mitchell was drafted by Milwaukee and is in his fifth year in the league. He battles type 1 Diabetes, and said he considers it a gift from God. “Not that mine’s any more special than anyone else’s — I think we all go through challenges in life that shows up in a lot of different ways,” he told CBN Sports. “It’s mental, it’s physical. You know, for me, my journey is just continuing to keep my head up and continue to persevere through diabetes, through injuries. So for me, I just know that God has a plan and He gives challenges to His warriors. … He’s my Lord and Savior, man. He’s who I can go to through the good and the bad and the indifferent, and just have conversations with — and more than anything, the peace that I get from it.”