Championship DNA

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Sports Wednesdays!

On Sports Wednesdays, look forward to the latest recaps from all your favorite sports as well as deep dives into positions and stats! It’s gonna be a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy! Today, I present to you Championship DNA: a deep dive into the Golden State Valkyries’ championship win in the WNBA AND the Milwaukee Brewers’ championship win in the MLB! Both these teams exude Championship DNA, an intense old-school, team-first, next player in mindset built by passionate coaches who focus on fundamentals and belief in players who were often overlooked. Without further ado, let’s get to it!

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Golden State Valkyries

The 2026 WNBA postseason ended with a champion that wasted no time making history. In just their second season AS A FRANCHISE, making the playoffs in their first, the Golden State Valkyries defeated the Atlanta Dream 68-63 on Halloween night to win their first ever championship! The setting of the game also matched the stakes: a loud, roaring Chase Center, a winner-take-all showdown and shockingly the first ever Game 7 in WNBA Finals history. At the center of it all was a former Seattle Storm player from France, Gabby Williams, whose whopping 28-point second half performance in game 7 helped turn an ambitious expansion story into a championship reality!

Golden State made its championship credentials unmistakable by sweeping the defending champion and heavy favorite Las Vegas Aces. The clincher required more than a comfortable lead and a clean finish: the Valkyries erased an 11-point third-quarter deficit, survived a tight closing stretch, and dominated overtime 16–6 to win 87–77. Williams, Tiffany Hayes, and Kayla Thornton accounted for all of Golden State’s overtime scoring. 

That victory over the Aces highlighted the balance that made the Valkyries so difficult to beat. They could lean on Williams in decisive moments without depending on her to do everything. Balance and depth win championships. That’s championship DNA. Kayla Thornton scored 18 points in the clincher, while Tiffany Hayes and center Kiah Stokes added 11 apiece. Against a Las Vegas team led by 4-time MVP A’ja Wilson, Golden State’s response proved decisive.

Atlanta delivered an equally emphatic statement in the other semifinal, sweeping the New York Liberty, who many considered title faves with superstars like former Storm champ Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and the emergence of Leonie Fiebich. The Dream closed the series with an 85–83 victory behind Angel Reese’s 22 points and Jordin Canada’s 19 points and 11 assists. The achievement was especially impressive because leading scorer Allisha Gray contributed only 11 minutes. Atlanta entered the Finals riding a 10-game winning streak spanning the regular season and playoffs. 

Angel could be known as the best defender all time by the time her career ends and earned the DPOY this year. She also had record setting numbers earning 500 rebounds this season and 32 double doubles. Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Jordin Canada all played great, and getting that veteran leadership from DeWanna Bonner down the stretch made their playoff run incredible to watch. 

The championship matchup was set: Golden State’s rapid rise against an Atlanta team returning to the Finals for the first time in 13 years.

The Finals offered no easy route to the trophy. Golden State struck first, closing Game 1 on a 17–6 run to win 68–64. Atlanta answered with consecutive victories, including a 97–71 rout in Game 3 that put the Dream ahead 2–1. 

For the Valkyries, that deficit became a turning point. Head coach and reigning Coach of the Year winner Natalie Nakase adjusted her starting lineup, inserting Kaila Charles and Tiffany Hayes while moving Kayla Thornton and Cecilia Zandalasini to the bench. Golden State responded with consecutive wins, taking Game 4 by a 67–62 score and Game 5, winning 64-55. Stokes demonstrated the value of Golden State’s supporting cast in Game 5, delivering 13 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and three made 3-pointers. Veronica Burton added 13 points and eight rebounds as the Valkyries moved within one win of the championship.

Before we continue, a few things about what makes Natalie Nakase so incredible. She might be the most active, hands-on coach in WNBA history. She’s in it in practice and runs practice like real games, hard D, high intensity offense, etc. She was the assistant coach for the back-to-back champion Aces from 2022-24 under Becky Hammon, a legendary player and coach and Natalie has taken her teaching to another level. Natalie also focuses on potential in building her teams rather than past success and players who were on the precipice of being great but ended up getting overlooked. She’s the Queen of the well earned second chance. Her team first mentality is also amazing and focuses a collective unity and stifling team D rather than the individualistic offensive hero ball mindset that’s far too common in bball.

Atlanta, however, was not finished. Gray scored 23 points and Rhyne Howard added 21 in an 80–69 Game 6 victory, forcing the series to its limit. After six games of momentum shifts, neither team had managed to close the door. 

In Game 7, Atlanta led 30–24 at halftime, putting the Valkyries in an uncomfortable position: through the first six games, the team that was ahead at the break had always won at full time. Gabby Williams changed that pattern. She scored Golden State’s final 11 points of the third quarter and continued to drive the offense down the stretch. When Howard tied the game at 57 with 2:41 remaining, Williams answered with a 3-pointer that restored the Valkyries’ lead. She finished with 30 points and earned Finals MVP honors.

The closing moments also showed why this championship belonged to more than one player. Stokes finished with 13 rebounds and two blocks, while Hayes contributed 11 points. With Atlanta still threatening in the final seconds, Burton secured a crucial jump ball and made two free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining to seal the 68–63 victory.

The Dream’s season deserves its own spotlight. It ended one victory short of a championship, but their postseason was far more than a supporting role in Golden State’s story. Atlanta swept the New York Liberty, pushed the Finals to seven games, and twice demonstrated its ability to respond when the series threatened to slip away.

Their best moments came from different sources. Reese helped power the semifinal clincher. Gray and Howard combined for 44 points in the must-win Game 6. Canada led Atlanta with 18 points in Game 7, while Reese added eight points and 12 rebounds. That range of contributions made the Dream a difficult opponent to best.

The disappointment was real: Atlanta’s fourth Finals appearance still did not produce its first championship. Yet taking the eventual champions to the final seconds of Game 7 gave the Dream’s run a significance that the result alone cannot capture. Also, Angel is 24 and still getting better. She has #GOAT written all over her and this Dream team will be back. 

Milwaukee Brewers

The 58 year wait is over. The Milwaukee Brewers are World Series champions!

Just last week, Milwaukee defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4–1 in Game 5 to capture the first World Series championship in franchise history. The victory completed an 11–2 postseason run that followed a franchise-record 103-win regular season. This wasn’t simply a team getting hot at the right time—it was baseball’s best regular-season club carrying its excellence through October. 

Like the Valkyries, this Brewers team had the secret sauce championship DNA of team first, next player up ball, with intensity, discipline, and some well coached old school baseball led by manager Pat Murphy. They also featured several young players ready to prove themselves and put the team first!

Against San Diego, Los Angeles, and Tampa Bay, the Brewers found different ways to win: a last-strike walk-off, a marathon at-bat, a spectacular defensive play, and a championship-clinching pitching performance. Together, those moments turned years of postseason frustration into Milwaukee’s first World Series title since the Braves won in 1957.

The Brewers lost only once against San Diego and once against Tampa Bay, sweeping the Dodgers in between.

The Division Series against San Diego provided an early test—and one of the defining swings of Milwaukee’s October. 

In Game 2, the Brewers trailed 3–2 entering the bottom of the ninth. Padres closer Mason Miller, one of the best in the league was on the mound, and Milwaukee eventually loaded the bases with two outs. Left fielder 22-year-old Venezuelan star Jackson Chourio stepped up with the opportunity to turn a potential series-tying defeat into a commanding advantage. Down to his final strike, Chourio lined a 101.3 mph fastball into center field for a two-run, walk-off single. The Brewers won 4–3 and took a 2–0 series lead.

Milwaukee still needed more than great hitting to finish the series. Center fielder Garrett Mitchell supplied a spectacular home-run robbery in Game 4, helping protect the Brewers’ lead as they closed out San Diego with a 3–1 victory. The opening round established the formula: make the decisive play, whether at the plate or at the wall.

The National League Championship Series carried the weight of recent history. Los Angeles had swept Milwaukee in the previous year’s NLCS, eliminated the Brewers three times over the preceding eight years, and built a superteam this year, including arguably the #GOAT baseballer and true unicorn Shohei Ohtani. Somehow, Milwaukee reversed the outcome.

After winning the first two games at home, the Brewers faced a pivotal moment in Game 3 at Dodger Stadium. Los Angeles took a 2–1 lead in the sixth inning, creating an opening for the two-time defending champions to climb back into the series.

Jake Bauers shut that opening almost immediately.

Following an Andrew Vaughn walk, Bauers battled Blake Snell through an 11-pitch at-bat before launching a two-run homer. Mitchell followed with a solo shot, and Milwaukee went on to win 6–2. Bauers’ performance helped earn him NLCS MVP honors and captured the patience that made the Brewers so difficult to put away.

Game 4 offered another test. Milwaukee fell behind 4–0, then scored six unanswered runs to win 6–4 and complete the sweep. A year after Los Angeles ended their season in four games, the Brewers returned the favor and secured their first World Series appearance in 44 years.

Milwaukee opened the World Series with consecutive one-run wins: 3–2 in Game 1 and 5–4 in Game 2. The second victory required another comeback from a 4–0 deficit, reinforcing a theme that had followed the Brewers throughout October: an early lead against them was never comfortable.

Then came the inning that best explained their offense...

In Game 3, team captain Christian Yelich beat a force play at second base on a grounder by William Contreras, keeping the fifth inning alive after replay overturned the initial out call. Milwaukee responded with eight runs all with two outs through many hits instead of a home-run barrage. Brice Turang, Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, Sal Frelick, David Hamilton, and Chourio contributed to the rally. The Brewers won 10–1 and moved within one victory of the championship. Contreras would ultimately earn World Series MVP honors, but that rally demonstrated how much Milwaukee depended on keeping the line moving throughout the lineup.

Game 5 belonged first to pitcher Jacob Misiorowski. Can you believe I waited this long to mention him?! Save the best for last I guess. This guy has changed the pitching game. His fastball regularly goes 103-105.5mph, he’s 6’7” (cue spontaneous arm flaps), and has crazy extension off the rubber. He also has a 95mph slider that’s faster than many fastballs that brilliantly breaks making him almost impossible to hit. The Miz had a 1.80 ERA, leading the majors, and held opponents to a collective batting average of only 0.157!

The right-hander delivered 5⅔ scoreless innings before calf cramping ended his outing. Behind him, rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt continued a remarkable stretch at the plate, extending his run to six consecutive World Series plate appearances with hits and later adding a sacrifice fly as Milwaukee built a 4–0 lead.

The bullpen carried that advantage into the ninth. Tampa Bay scratched across a run after an unusual bounce off first base, but closer Trevor Megill prevented the inning from becoming another escape act for the Rays. He induced the championship-clinching groundout to second baseman Brice Turang, finishing the 4–1 victory.

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of Sports Wednesdays! Huge congratulations to the Golden State Valkyries and Milwaukee Brewers on their titles! Championship DNA is built not bought, and both these teams are true testaments to that. 

That’s all for today! See y’all next time! Sarang out.