BREWERS-RAYS WILL PRODUCE A FIRST-TIME CHAMPION, AND MAYBE THE FIRST ALL-INDOOR WORLD SERIES
The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays will play a Suds vs. Sun World Series that will produce a first-time champion and likely baseball’s first all-indoor championship.
The best-of-seven showdown between low-payroll pennant winners opens Friday night in Milwaukee. It’ll be the first World Series between title-less teams since the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in 1980 and just the second since 1910.
One city is known for the television sitcom “ Laverne & Shirley,” the home of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, cheeseheads and breweries that have included Miller, Pabst and Schlitz. The other is a vacation destination featuring warm weather, beaches and art museums.
“They’re highly athletic but so are we. I’m excited to see two great teams that play the game a little differently than maybe it’s been played the last decade or so,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after his team defeated Cleveland in six games for the AL pennant. “We’re going to use our speed. We’re going to bunt when it’s called for. We’ll try to get matchups and I can assure you they’re going to do the same.”
Just five of the current 30 teams have never won a title, with Colorado, San Diego and Seattle also ringless.
“The city is ready. I know that the fans are ready, and I know that we’ll be ready,” said Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers, MVP of the four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.
Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski heads the pitchers with his 100 mph-plus heat, and each team features a dynamic 22-year-old anchoring the lineup: Jackson Chourio of the Brewers and Junior Caminero of the Rays. Tampa Bay’s Freddy Peralta and Drew Rasmussen could pitch against their former team.
“I don’t know how the people, the fans are going to take it, but I’m happy to be go there,” said Peralta, the ALCS MVP. “I have a lot of people that I love over there, people that care about me and I’m happy to be there and be able to compete together and take a lot of pictures and videos.”
The Brewers started as the expansion Seattle Pilots in 1969, then were bought by Bud Selig’s group in bankruptcy court and moved to Milwaukee for the 1970 season. The team’s only Series trip was a seven-game loss to St. Louis in the 1982 Suds Series, back when the Brewers were in the American League.
Tampa Bay launched as the expansion Devil Rays in 1998 and dropped the “Devil” ahead of the 2008 season. The team’s two Series appearances ended with losses to Philadelphia in 2008 and the Dodgers in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Best face each other for 6th time in wild-card era
This will be only the sixth time since the start of the wild-card era in 1995 that teams with the top records in each league meet in the World Series after Atlanta-Cleveland (1995), New York Yankees-Braves (1999), Boston-St. Louis (2013), Dodgers-Rays (2020) and Dodgers-Yankees (2024).
Two low-payroll teams in Series for first time in 35 years
Milwaukee had MLB’s 19th-highest payroll as of Aug. 31. Tampa Bay was 25th.
Not since 1991 had both pennant winners been among the bottom 50% in player spending. Minnesota was 15th among 26 teams when it beat Atlanta (19th) in seven games.
Matchup with a ceiling
Tampa Bay’s ballpark has a fixed roof and Milwaukee’s is retractable — it probably will be closed with game-time temperatures predicted to be in the upper 40s or low 50s.
When all World Series games were played at retractable-roof ballparks in 2020 (Texas) and 2023 (Texas and Arizona), there were three open-air games each year.
The roofs of both ballparks came into play this postseason.
In the ninth inning of Milwaukee’s 3-2 win over the Padres in Game 1 of their NL Division Series, San Diego’s Ty France hit a high drive that appeared it might be headed over the left-field wall for a go-ahead homer until it struck a cable on the retractable roof in Milwaukee.
Two nights later, Yankees rookie Spencer Jones hit a flyball off a catwalk at Tropicana Field that was caught by Rays right fielder Victor Mesa Jr. for an out in the second inning of New York’s 5-2 loss in Game 2 of their AL Division Series.
Common ties
Greg Vaughn, Willy Adames and Matt Garza are the most prominent players with lengthy stretches on both teams, and Bauers made his big league debut with the Rays in 2018.
Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold worked for the Rays for nine years before Milwaukee hired him as an assistant GM in October 2015.
One of baseball’s great nicknames
Those 1982 Brewers were known as Harvey’s Wallbangers, a nickname given by first baseman Cecil Cooper. The Brewers led the major leagues in home runs under manager Harvey Kuenn and had a roster with five future Hall of Famers: Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, Rollie Fingers, Ted Simmons and Don Sutton.
Haunted hotel?
Various players over the years have claimed The Pfister Hotel, where many teams stay in Milwaukee, is haunted. Opened in 1893, the hotel has Romanesque Revival architecture, and players have claimed to hear spooky noises and footsteps.
If there is a Game 7, it would be played in Milwaukee on Halloween night.
Boss Man
Milwaukee’s Pat Murphy, winner of the last two NL Manager of the Year awards, has two tattoos referencing Bruce Springsteen: “No Retreat No Surrender” on his left forearm and “The Boss” on his back.
He first went to a Springsteen concert in 1980 when he was in college, then another when he was coaching at Notre Dame.
“He grew up a Catholic kid in New Jersey. I was a Catholic kid from upstate New York,” the 67-year-old Murphy said. “There’s just so much that resonates with me how he speaks about things.”
Ballpark histories
The 1982 Series was played at Milwaukee County Stadium, home of the Braves from 1953-65 before they moved to Atlanta, and then the Brewers from 1970-2000. This year’s championship will be played at American Family Field. Known as Miller Park from 2001-20, the ballpark is adjacent to the County Stadium site. It was host of the 2002 All-Star Game, which ended in a 7-7, 11-inning tie after both teams ran out of pitchers.
Milwaukee’s ballpark is known for its Racing Sausages in the middle of the sixth inning, with the Brat, Polish, Italian, Hot Dog and Chorizo competing. It also has the Uecker Seat in the last row of section 422 in the left-field upper deck — it includes a bronze statue of Bob Uecker, the beloved funny man who broadcast Brewers games for 54 seasons until his death last year.
Tampa Bay’s home, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, is on its third name. Known as the Florida Suncoast Dome from 1990-93 and the ThunderDome from 1993-96, the stadium got its current name about 18 months before the Rays’ first game in 1998.
Its only prior World Series games were in 2008, when the Rays split the first two games against Philadelphia before the Phillies won three straight at home. Tampa Bay’s other Series appearance was in 2020, when due to the coronavirus pandemic the entire series was played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The Trop reopened this season after repairs to damage caused by Hurricane Milton. The Rays plan to move to a new stadium across the bay in Tampa in 2029.
Jersey watch
Milwaukee went 29-13 in cream uniforms during the regular season, 17-7 in pinstripes, 27-12 in navy blue, 9-6 in City Connect outfits and 21-21 in light blue. During the postseason, the Brewers are 4-0 in cream and 3-1 in navy.
Tampa Bay was 36-19 in home white, 32-33 in road navy, 8-2 in road Columbia blue, 12-3 in Devil Rays throwback jerseys, 6-4 in City Connect and 3-3 in road gray. In the playoffs, the Rays are 2-1 in home white, 2-0 in Devil Rays throwbacks and 3-1 in road gray.
Mirror mirror
Milwaukee was 32 for 128 (.250) and had a .347 on-base percentage in its NLCS sweep of the Dodgers, the exact same numbers Los Angeles batters had in their NLCS sweep of the Brewers last year.
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MLB.COM
HOW TO SOUND SMART WHEN DISCUSSING THIS WORLD SERIES MATCHUP
The Brewers and Rays will face off in the 2026 World Series, a fascinating matchup between two of baseball’s best and smartest teams, but also organizations that have never won the Fall Classic.
Milwaukee set a franchise record by leading the Majors with 103 wins in the regular season, beat the Padres in the NLDS and then swept the Dodgers in the NLCS, dethroning the two-time defending World Series champions to advance to the club’s first Fall Classic since 1982.
The Rays, meanwhile, led the American League with 97 wins, swept the Yankees in the ALDS and beat the Guardians in six games in the ALCS. It’s the club’s third World Series appearance and first since 2020.
There are storylines galore between these two teams. With that in mind, let’s preview the World Series that begins in Milwaukee on Friday.
Who has home-field advantage?
That belongs to the Brewers, who led the Majors with a franchise-record 103 wins during the regular season.
The first two games will begin at Milwaukee’s American Family Field this Friday and Saturday. The series then shifts to St. Petersburg for Games 3 (Oct. 26), 4 (Oct. 27) and 5, if necessary (Oct. 28).
What is each team’s World Series history?
The Rays have made two trips to the World Series since their inaugural 1998 season, first in 2008 and again in 2020, but were unsuccessful in both attempts, dropping the first against the Phillies in five games and the second against the Dodgers in six.
The Brewers are also looking for their first championship, but it’s been considerably longer since they’ve made this much progress towards getting there. Their 2026 National League pennant is just the second in franchise history; they won their first 44 years ago, in 1982, in the American League, after which they lost a seven-game World Series matchup against the Cardinals.
What is the head-to-head history between these two teams?
In 28 all-time meetings, the Brewers have won 15 of those games. That includes three games this year in the season’s first week — the Brewers took two of three from the Rays in Milwaukee from March 30 to April 1.
What notable connections do the Rays and Brewers share on their current rosters?
Drew Rasmussen is a big one. The Rays’ ace was drafted by Tampa Bay as the 31st overall pick in the 2017 Draft, but opted to return to Oregon State. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery in Sept. 2017, forcing him to miss all of 2018, but the Brewers still picked him in the sixth round of the ‘18 Draft. After debuting with the Brewers in 2020, Rasmussen was a headliner in the deal that sent him to Tampa Bay in exchange for shortstop Willy Adames.
Then there’s ALCS MVP Freddy Peralta, who blossomed into one of baseball’s best starters with the Brewers from 2018-25, going 70-42 with a 3.59 ERA and 1,153 strikeouts over eight seasons in Milwaukee. He was the Game 1 starter for the Brewers in the 2024 NL Wild Card Series against the Mets and ‘25 Division Series against the Cubs. He was traded to the Mets last offseason and then sent to the Rays during this year’s Trade Deadline.
2026 NLCS MVP and breakout hitter Jake Bauers also began his career with the Rays as a top prospect before he bounced around with multiple organizations, eventually settling with the Brewers the last three seasons and playing a vital role in Milwaukee’s NL pennant.
The exchange between these two clubs also extends to off-field personnel — Matt Arnold, currently the Brewers’ general manager and president of baseball operations, took his current job after nine seasons in the Rays’ front office.
Who are the best players to play for both teams?
Rasmussen, Peralta and Adames are certainly at the top of that list. In terms of career WAR, per Baseball Reference, Adames’ 26.9 mark is tops among active players to play for both teams.
The best player to ever appear for both clubs, though, is probably Greg Vaughn, who spent 15 seasons in the Majors from 1989-2003. He was worth 30.8 career WAR, hit 355 home runs and was a four-time All-Star. Two of those appearances came with the Brewers from 1989-96 (he was traded to the Padres at the ‘96 Deadline) and he made his final All-Star team with the Rays in 2001.
Another notable name is Matt Garza, who excelled with the Rays from 2008-10 and was the 2008 ALCS MVP for Tampa Bay. He spent his last four seasons in the Majors with the Brewers from 2014-17.
What are the keys to this matchup?
1. Can Tampa Bay contain Milwaukee’s all-around excellence?
The Brewers led the Majors with 103 wins in the regular season. They took down baseball’s hottest team (the Padres) in four games in the NLDS. They then swept the reigning two-time World Series champion Dodgers in the NLCS. There aren’t a whole lot of flaws on a Brewers squad that can hit, plays elite defense, and boasts baseball’s top starter in Jacob Misiorowski and a shutdown bullpen.
To be clear, this Tampa Bay team is very good — it led the American League with 98 wins and is in the World Series for a reason. But the Rays will be tasked with taking down a Brewers team that’s firing on all cylinders, in every facet of the game.
2. Which team can find that extra edge?
It’s no secret that the Brewers and Rays are two of the smartest organizations in all of baseball. Year in and year out, these clubs manage to blow past expectations thanks to smart front offices, excellent coaching staffs, a full embrace of both analytics and scouting and an ability to implement it on the field. The Athletic’s Eno Sarris recently documented these “Moneyball-like edges” (subscription required) putting the Brewers and Rays ahead of the pack.
Now, we can see these clubs find those edges in some of the most important games in each franchise’s history. Whether it’s bullpen management, pitch arsenal tweaks between games or platoon decisions, the two teams will surely be operating at their best. Given that they’re both fighting for their first World Series titles, those decisions and results are even more important than your usual Fall Classic matchup.
3. Can the Brewers keep slugging?
For all of the Brewers’ strengths, hitting home runs wasn’t one of them … in the regular season. After tying for the second fewest home runs (154) in the Majors during the regular season, the Brewers have crushed 10 homers in seven games in the postseason. That is a huge turn of events considering the current low-scoring run environment in the playoffs — teams are averaging 3.5 runs-per-game in the postseason, compared to 4.48 runs in the regular season.
Six Brewers have homered so far in the postseason, including three home runs from William Contreras, two apiece from Garrett Mitchell and Jackson Chourio and one each from Jake Bauers, Brice Turang and David Hamilton. If that continues, chalk it up to another edge Milwaukee could have in the series.
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