No matter who triumphs in the World Series, Jake Woodford is already a winner. His nomadic 2026 campaign included stops with both the Brewers and the Rays.

1. Peralta faces old team

One of the biggest trades of the offseason was Milwaukee sending Freddy Peralta to the Mets for prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams. It didn’t pan out for either side. Peralta struggled in the first half. Sproat couldn’t hold onto a rotation spot and was eventually demoted. Peralta landed in Tampa Bay at the trade deadline. He’s become the team’s co-ace alongside Drew Rasmussen. Peralta faced the Brewers in July while still with the Mets. He was pounded for seven earned runs over 5 1/3 innings.

2. Bauers faces old team

Did you remember that Jake Bauers was in the Wil Myers trade? He came to the Rays via the Padres in December 2014. Bauers worked his way up Tampa Bay’s system and made his MLB debut in 2018. He popped 11 homers and stole six bases in 388 plate appearances with the club. The Rays shipped him to Cleveland that summer in a three-team deal that brought back Yandy Diaz. Bauers spent time with the Guardians, Mariners, and Yankees before finding a steady gig in Milwaukee.

3. The Miz gets Game 1

No surprise here. Brewers righty Jacob Misiorowski will start the first game of the World Series, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The Fall Classic kicks off on Friday at 7 pm CT. Misiorowski wasn’t his normal untouchable self in the previous two rounds. He allowed a couple of runs over four innings against the Padres in the NLDS. The Dodgers made him throw 94 pitches in 4 1/3 innings, forcing manager Pat Murphy to lean on his bullpen in Game 1 of the NLCS. That worked out just fine for Milwaukee. Despite the shorter outings, the Brewers won both of Misiorowski’s starts.

Photo courtesy of Kirby Lee, Imagn Images