The 2026 World Series will feature two of Major League Baseball's smallest markets, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have big storylines.
Here's everything you need to know about the championship matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers heading into Friday's Game 1.
How to watch
🇨🇦: Sportsnet
🇺🇸: FOX
History will be made either way
The Rays and Brewers are on the verge of accomplishing something that neither franchise has done before. After entering the majors as an expansion team in 1998, Tampa Bay has gone 29 years without a championship. Meanwhile, Milwaukee's title drought is 58 years, dating back to 1969, when the club joined as the Seattle Pilots.
This World Series marks the first time since 1980 that two teams will vie for a first title, and it's only the second time this has happened since 1921. What makes the event even rarer is that it'll be the first time both clubs will play for a first championship after waiting more than 25 years.
4 players who will decide the World Series
Junior Caminero, Rays: The AL MVP contender is Tampa Bay's most feared hitter. The 23-year-old belted his first career playoff homer in memorable fashion in Game 6 of the ALCS. Caminero, who's coming off back-to-back 40-plus-homer seasons, could be due for a tear in the best-of-seven series.
Yandy Díaz, Rays: The two-time All-Star and noted fortune teller leads the Rays with two homers and a .905 OPS in the playoffs. Díaz is also the only player on the team who's had success against Jacob Misiorowski, taking the NL Cy Young favorite deep during a three-game series in April.
Jacob Misiorowski, Brewers: The Miz hasn't been as dominant in the postseason after leading the majors in ERA and strikeouts. However, Milwaukee could deploy him - and his 100-mph-plus fastball - up to three times in a long series, which is a big advantage.
Jackson Chourio, Brewers: The 22-year-old has been clutch in the playoffs over his career despite going 6-for-35 this October. Chourio's six postseason homers are the most in franchise history. If anybody can tilt a game with a big moment, it's him.
Why the Rays can win it all ...
Tampa Bay is poised to hoist its first Commissioner's Trophy because the club has a better rotation and top of the order. The Brewers will have an edge in starting pitching only when Misiorowski is on the mound, but that advantage may be smaller given how Drew Rasmussen is performing. The Rays should have the upper hand when Freddy Peralta, Griffin Jax, and Nick Martinez start compared to Logan Henderson, Robert Gasser, and Dustin May.
The largest X-factor between the two lineups is Caminero, who's the biggest game-breaker thanks to his power and slugging. Díaz and Jonathan Aranada are also tough outs, as both bring extra-base pop and a high on-base percentage. Collectively, the trio gets the nod over Chourio, Brice Turang, and William Contreras.
Why the Brewers will win it all ...
Milwaukee's bullpen has been lights out in the postseason, allowing just three earned runs on 15 hits with 35 strikeouts across 40 2/3 innings. Brewers relievers are also notably averaging 98 mph on their fastballs in October, the highest among playoff teams. However, it's a different story for the Rays, whose bullpen is averaging 93.2 mph. While Tampa Bay has the best individual reliever in Bryan Baker, a candidate for AL Reliever of the Year, its group isn't nearly as deep.
Milwaukee earned home-field advantage in the Fall Classic by posting an MLB-leading 103 regular-season wins. After tying the Rays for baseball's best home record with 55 wins, the Brewers are 4-0 at American Family Field in the playoffs. They also topped all 30 teams this campaign with 5.5 runs per game at home.
Rays-Brewers connections
The most obvious association is Peralta. The 2026 ALCS MVP spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Brewers, posting a 3.73 ERA, three 200-strikeout seasons, and two All-Star appearances. Milwaukee dealt him to the New York Mets in the offseason, and then he landed with the Rays ahead of the trade deadline.
The Brewers drafted Rasmussen in 2018. He made his MLB debut in 2020 before the Rays acquired him in the Willy Adames trade in 2021, and the right-hander has flourished into an ace with Tampa Bay. He's surrendered just three earned runs in the playoffs following a career season in which he recorded a 2.67 ERA and 0.91 WHIP.
Jake Bauers, who won NLCS MVP after taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers, arrived in the big leagues with Tampa Bay in 2018. He was traded in a three-team deal that sent Díaz to the Rays before the 2019 season. Four clubs and eight years later, Bauers is an instrumental part of the Brewers.
The connections run deeper than just the players, as Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold spent nine years with the Rays organization from 2006 to 2015. He's risen from scout to potential architect of a World Series winner.
Does small-market World Series impact potential lockout?
Unfortunately, no. It just shows that the baseball gods have a twisted sense of humor. The league, owners, and MLBPA are bracing for a lockout driven by a hard salary cap and floor, which feels silly given that the Rays and Brewers are in baseball's bottom third in payroll. These two clubs are notorious for drafting, developing, and trading players for prospects when stars get too expensive, and they're proof that money doesn't equal playoff success. This refreshing title showdown comes after the behemoth Dodgers won back-to-back championships, which felt like the crux of any cap argument. Though this point is somewhat moot now, don't expect MLB and the owners to take this development in stride. Buckle up for a long winter.
Who has the most on the line?
Christian Yelich: The Brewers captain has done almost everything with the organization. He's an NL MVP, All-Star, batting champion, division winner, etc. However, a championship has eluded him over his 14-year career. Now 34 and coming off his worst season, it could be now or never for Yelich.
Pat Murphy: The likely three-time NL Manager of the Year has been in Milwaukee's dugout since 2016, when he started as a bench coach. Murphy has led the Brewers to three straight NL Central titles and a single-season franchise record for wins this year. This might be the 67-year-old's best chance for immortality.
Kevin Cash: The longtime Rays skipper owns a 994-848 record since 2015. He's led the team to three AL East titles (2020, 2021, 2026) and a franchise-record 100 wins in 2021. Tampa Bay resides in the toughest division in baseball. Despite his team's consistent success, Cash isn't guaranteed to return to the mountaintop.
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