Aaron Ashby delivered a postseason performance for the history books, helping the Milwaukee Brewers capture the club’s first-ever World Series championship last week.
The left-handed relief pitcher, a 2016 graduate of Park Hill High School, played a starring role in Milwaukee’s championship run. The Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in Game 5 on Oct. 28 at Tropicana Field, clinching the series and ending a 57-year title drought.
“This is everything you dream of,” Ashby said in the televised postgame coverage. “When you’re putting yourselves in these scenarios as a little kid, like I’m in Game 7 of the World Series, and then this is awesome; this is the best thing ever.”
A Kansas City native and nephew of former 14-year major leaguer Andy Ashby, also a Park Hill alum, Ashby turned in one of the most dominant relief performances in postseason history.
Across nine appearances and 18 innings, the 28-year-old allowed no runs on five hits, issued three walks and struck out 20 batters.
His remarkable stretch established a Major League record for the most consecutive scoreless innings by a reliever in a single postseason, surpassing the previous mark of 16 set by Andrew Miller of the 2016 Cleveland Indians.
Ashby’s dominance continued on baseball’s biggest stage. He appeared in Games 1, 2 and 4 of the World Series, tossing 5.2 innings of one-hit ball without issuing a walk. He also recorded three saves during the playoffs, frequently working multiple innings when called upon to help Milwaukee preserve its leads.
“When the phone rings, we hold the line and the game’s in our hands now,” Ashby said on MLB Network after winning the World Series. “The job is simple: you just keep throwing up zeros until you are asked to pass it to the next guy.”
Ashby became a dependable presence in the Brewers’ bullpen throughout their postseason run.
Aaron Ashby holds the Commissioner’s Trophy after helping the Milwaukee Brewers to the franchise’s first World Series title on Oct. 28. Photo Credit: Major League Baseball
Although Milwaukee didn’t need him to close out the championship in Game 5, his contributions in the preceding weeks helped pave the way for the franchise’s historic accomplishment.
Speaking with former Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer during MLB Network’s postgame coverage, Ashby reflected on what changed for him this season compared to previous postseason appearances.
“I quit trying to squeeze it (the ball) so tight,” Ashby said. “I try to let go of it. There’s been times in postseasons past, and seasons past, where I’ve tried to do too much. I’ve gotten sped up.”
The approach produced significantly better results than last year, when Ashby appeared in seven postseason games and posted a 5.40 ERA as Milwaukee faced elimination in the NLCS.
This time around, he leaned on prayer and a renewed sense of perspective to remain calm and collected under pressure.
“There’s inevitably chaos in every postseason and every game,” he said. “Just trying to feel peaceful during that, and I felt that. I never felt like the moment got too big, which is a weird thing because up to this point, it always has kind of felt too big.”
That composure also comes from lessons learned throughout his baseball career. Speaking with Boston Red Sox Baseball Hall of Fame designated hitter David Ortiz during televised postgame coverage, Ashby explained the advice from his father that has helped shape his approach.
“The best thing my dad’s ever told me — good or bad — never show anyone up and don’t show yourself up; just keep your composure,” Ashby said. “I feel like that’s the reason I feel so calm.”
Ashby acknowledged that maintaining that mindset hasn’t always come naturally. Earlier in his career, he sometimes allowed his emotions to get the better of him, but experience has helped him recognize what works best.
“I’ve played the other side of that, where I’ve jumped off the mound and I’m fist-pumping, then the next inning the guys try to hit the ball off my head and that’s not very fun for me,” Ashby said. “I’d rather just be lowkey and get as many outs for the boys as I can.”
Long before he became a postseason standout, Ashby’s path to the major leagues began on Northland baseball fields. At Park Hill, he developed as a left-handed pitcher before continuing his career at Crowder College in Neosho, Missouri.
Ashby spent two seasons at Crowder, including a sophomore campaign in which he led all Division I junior college pitchers in strikeouts. While his freshman year earned him a selection by the Texas Rangers, his sophomore year drew even more major league attention, and Milwaukee selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 MLB Draft.
He made his big-league debut in 2021 and has steadily developed into a key piece of Milwaukee’s pitching staff. Ashby put together the best regular season of his career in 2026, finishing 13-3 with a 3.12 earned-run average, four saves and 116 strikeouts in 89.1 innings across 75 appearances.
He wasn’t the only player with local ties to make an impact for the Brewers. Jacob Misiorowski of Grain Valley, another Crowder College product, also emerged as a major contributor as a hard-throwing starting pitcher. He picked up victories in Games 1 and 5 of the World Series and is expected to win the National League Cy Young Award after leading MLB in earned-run average (1.80), strikeouts (252), opponent batting average (.157) and WHIP (walks and hits per inning) at 0.80.
Ashby also became the second Park Hill graduate to celebrate a major professional sports championship this year. Landry Shamet, a 2015 Park Hill graduate and friend of Ashby’s, won an NBA championship with the New York Knicks in June.
Ashby’s historic October performance helped power a Brewers team that finished the regular season with an MLB-best 103 wins before going 11-2 in the postseason. The championship marked Milwaukee’s first since the franchise moved from Seattle in 1970 and the city’s first World Series title since the 1957 Braves.
Ashby’s historic postseason performance delivered a championship for Milwaukee and gave Kansas City baseball fans another hometown connection to celebrate.