MLB WORLD SERIES: RAYS VS BREWERS

October 28, 2026

Kevin Cash

Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Rays

Postgame 5 Press Conference

Brewers 4, Rays 1

KEVIN CASH: Congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers. Mark Attanasio, Matt Arnold, his staff, certainly Pat Murphy, that coaching staff, and maybe most importantly, all the Brewers players. That's a heck of a regular season they went through and showed why they were the best team and world champs now throughout this postseason. So congrats to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Q. Kevin, just in the moment, how do you balance the disappointment of losing the World Series with the season that got you here?

KEVIN CASH: I don't know if I have the best words. I think that just incredibly grateful for the guys all season long. You cover us, and you guys follow us. It's a special group. I'm guessing you guys feel the same way.

They're banged up and hurting right now, but just grateful for the way they carried themselves all season long, winning a bunch of games. It's as close knit of a group as I've ever been around.

Q. Did you have a chance to share anything with the group as they were kind of coming off the field?

KEVIN CASH: Just kind of that. I'm crushed right now, disappointed, but it's easier to handle because of what we all meant to each other throughout the course of this season and certainly this last month in October.

Q. Talked about Ras heading into this game. What did you think of the way he gritted through it and the performance he had?

KEVIN CASH: He's a stud. That guy is a stud. His stuff was as sharp as it could have been. We had gone into the game saying it was 60 pitches or four innings. Stuck to that. That was the easiest call in the world to take him out of the ballgame. We've worked very hard with all of our pitchers and pride ourselves on doing right by them.

We knew this was a big ask, but appreciate Drew Rasmussen so much for taking the ball, wanting the ball, and going out and doing what he did.

Q. For the younger guys on this team, what's it going to be like talking to them just about trying to, I guess, process everything of what happens and processing the loss?

KEVIN CASH: We'll have some conversations for sure in the coming days. I think there's going to be a lot more processing of some good stuff than the bad of just maybe losing this ballgame. They accomplished a lot. I'm incredibly proud of them.

Like I said, it was an honor, and grateful to be around them all season long.

Q. I think you had alluded to this the other night, just your offense needed to get going, and obviously your numbers overall for the series weren't good. What do you think that was mostly from the --

KEVIN CASH: Milwaukee Brewers pitching, it's as simple as that. They've got a bunch of good hitters. They've shown that all season long.

Tonight we ran into a team that had elite starting pitching, very good pitching, and then as elite of a bullpen as I've ever seen.

Q. I don't know how quickly you left the dugout, but a lot of players stayed and watched the celebration. What was running through their minds?

KEVIN CASH: I can't speak for them. I guess they all process it a little bit differently. If it's something that you log in the back of your mind that, you know, you want to experience that, we want to experience that real soon here in the coming seasons. If it's better for that person or that individual that chose to sit and watch it, I can appreciate that.

Q. It may be hard to think about it in this moment, but 106 wins, most ever in franchise history from regular season to postseason, AL East champs, the pennant. What will you appreciate most when you reflect on how special this season was?

KEVIN CASH: The quality of players. The character. They were talented. Nobody can argue that. But the quality of the individuals in that room that we got to be a part of on a nightly basis.

Q. Nick Martinez was warming up in the bullpen as the last out goes on. What kind of impact did he make on this group, whatever the future may hold?

KEVIN CASH: We spoke to it all season long. He's been the rock of our clubhouse. He definitely has. When you get the name Presidente, that's for good reason. Orchestrating all the dinners, the conversations, the card games, the way he carried himself.

I felt like we were a better team -- if this is the right way to say it, we were a better team when Nick was on the mound because of how much support that he had from his teammates.

Q. Looking forward for this team, I mean, there's a lot of talent on this team, a lot of talent is going to be coming back. I know it's really early, the last out just happened a couple minutes ago, but how excited are you for the future of this team just knowing the guys that you're going to be getting back and the talent you have?

KEVIN CASH: How can you not be excited? That goes for the guys that weren't able to participate because of injuries. Shane McClanahan, Pep, Uceta. But speaking of the guys who contributed to this postseason run, it's very easy to be excited, remain excited about the quality of players and people that we have coming.

Q. Probably unfair to even ask you tonight, but just the uncertainty facing the game right now, and no team ever stays together fully, but how will you go into this off-season knowing it's a little different?

KEVIN CASH: I guess the best I can say is I hope I'm managing next year.