The top seed in each league will meet in the World Series. The Brewers host the Rays in the Fall Classic, with Game 1 set for Friday at 7 pm CT. Jacob Misiorowski will start for Milwaukee. Tampa Bay’s starter is TBD at this time.

The Brewers come into the series with a nice rest advantage. They quickly disposed of the Dodgers in a four-game NLCS sweep that ended on October 15. Misiorowski will have a dozen days between starts. Milwaukee earned home field honors with 103 wins in the regular season.

The Rays needed six games to get past the Guardians in the ALCS. Cleveland jumped out to a 2-1 lead before dropping the final three matchups. The series wrapped up on October 19. Drew Rasmussen will be on regular rest tomorrow after starting Game 5 on Sunday. Tampa Bay could push him to Game 2 for additional rest, as mentioned in today’s Opener.

The 2026 World Series is guaranteed to crown a first-time champion. The Rays and Brewers are among the five franchises to never win a title, along with the Padres, Mariners, and Rockies. It’s the first time since 1980 that two teams who have never won a World Series will play each other. The Phillies earned their first championship in a win over the Royals that year. Kansas City would win its first World Series in 1985 against the Cardinals.

The Brewers’ lone World Series appearance came in 1982. Milwaukee led the league with 95 wins that year. The club faced off against the Cardinals in the Fall Classic. The Brewers set the tone with a 10-1 win in Game 1. They carried a 3-2 lead with the series headed back to St. Louis, but were defeated in the final two matchups on the road.

The Rays have been to the World Series twice in their existence. The franchise started in 1998 and endured 10 straight losing seasons. The run of ineptitude ended in 2008 with a charmed run to the Fall Classic. Tampa Bay fell to Philadelphia in five games. Three of the Rays’ losses in the series were decided by one run. The club made it back to the World Series in the shortened 2020 season. After knotting the series at 2-2, the Rays lost Games 5 and 6, with the Dodgers securing their first title since 1988.

It should be an epic series between the two best teams in each league. The winner will be taking home a title for the first time.

Photos courtesy of Pablo Robles and Kirby Lee, Imagn Images