ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Rays season that lasted much longer than most expected came to a disappointing and painful conclusion Wednesday night with a 4-1 loss to the Brewers in Game 5 of the World Series.

Given little chance by media and industry experts to even contend for a playoff spot in the rugged American League East, the Rays had a different view internally, came together around that belief during spring training and rode that confidence — plus an extremely strong sense of clubhouse camaraderie and closeness — to an American League-best 98 wins.

They swept the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs and beat the Guardians in six games to win the AL pennant.

But they met their match in the World Series against a Brewers team that was simply much better and deserved to celebrate the first championship in franchise history on the Tropicana Field turf.

The Rays made their task infinitely more difficult by losing the first three games of the Series — the first two in Milwaukee by one run, and with a runner on third base when their final out was made — and then a blowout in Game 3.

That left them battling the Brewers and history, as no team had come back from a 3-0 deficit to win the World Series and only one team, the 2004 Red Sox in the AL Championship Series against the Yankees, had done so in any best-of-seven series.

The Rays played better on Tuesday, rallying for two runs in the 12th inning and a walk-off win to avoid a sweep, and talked a good game afterward and going into play Wednesday about having the pressure off and the momentum in their favor.

But that didn’t help once they took the field on Wednesday, before another sellout crowd of 40,489 with mixed allegiance.

The pitching staff, patched together after seven were used on Tuesday, did well. It was led by Drew Rasmussen, making back-to-back starts with less than four days’ rest for the first time in his career, allowing one run over four innings.

The relievers who followed were not as good, with Kevin Kelly allowing a run in the fifth, and Garrett Cleavinger and Tyler Wells teaming up to allow two in the sixth.

The bigger issue was the lack of offense, as the Rays scored only 12 runs over the five games. They hit .182 and were 8 for 39 with runners in scoring position.

Wednesday, they managed only four hits, two off Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, who had issues throughout the game with the condition of the mound and left in the sixth due to a right calf cramp, and then ninth-inning doubles by Liam Hicks (on a ball that caromed off first base) and Chandler Simpson.

The Brewers took the lead in the second, when rookie Cooper Pratt singled in Brice Turang. They added another in the fifth with consecutive singles by Pratt, Garrett Mitchell and David Hamilton. And they doubled their lead with two more in the sixth, combining a hit batter, a William Contreras double, a Turang single and a Pratt sacrifice fly.

Contreras was named World Series MVP after the game.

Still, given the context of the season, some Rays said it would be hard to be disappointed in how they did.

“I think it will be (considered) a phenomenal season,” veteran DH Yandy Diaz said via team interpreter Kevin Vera, prior to Game 4. “At the beginning of the year, media, a lot of people around the league counted us out. They didn’t have us in the postseason, but look at us now, we’re here in the World Series.

“Definitely can’t hang our head with everything, because it was a very successful year. I think it was a fantastic year for a lot of reasons.”

As a result, the Rays lost the World Series for the third time in an 18-year span. It made them the only team still seeking its first championship that has lost the Series three times, and the third team — joining the Dodgers and Tigers — as teams who lost at least their first three World Series.

The Rays lost 4-1 to the Phillies in their 2008 breakthrough season and 4-2 to the Dodgers in the 2020 pandemic-impacted season.

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