The Brewers and Rays took opponents to school — and college baseball fans are loving it

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have reached the World Series by adopting fundamentally focused play styles reminiscent of college baseball. Rather than relying solely on home runs, both clubs emphasize high batting averages, bunting, base running, and elite defensive play. Milwaukee led the majors with 103 regular-season victories, while Tampa Bay led the American League with 98 wins.

Both teams ranked in the bottom third of the league in home runs while co-leading MLB with a .258 team batting average. Brewers manager Pat Murphy, a former long-time college coach at Notre Dame and Arizona State, downplayed bringing college tactics directly to the majors, stressing instead that his team focuses on unselfish baseball and adapting to its personnel.