Rays vs. Brewers World Series: 10 Things to Watch as Two Title-Starved Small-Market Teams Chase History

MILWAUKEE — For the first time in more than four decades, baseball is guaranteed a first-time champion.

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays open the World Series on Friday night at American Family Field. It is the first Fall Classic between two franchises without a title since the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals in 1980. Neither team was expected to be here when the season began, and both arrive with deep pitching staffs, modest payrolls and fan bases eager to celebrate a championship for the first time.

Milwaukee, which posted the best record in the majors at 103-59, enters as the betting favorite after sweeping the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. Tampa Bay, 98-64 during the regular season, swept the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series and then beat the Cleveland Guardians in six games to win the pennant.

Here are 10 storylines to watch in the 122nd World Series.

1. A guaranteed first-time champion

Whatever happens, a new name will be added to the list of World Series winners.

The Brewers, who began as the Seattle Pilots in 1969 before moving to Milwaukee in 1970, have reached the World Series only once before, losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in 1982 as a member of the American League. That team, nicknamed "Harvey's Wallbangers" after manager Harvey Kuenn, remains beloved in Milwaukee, and a title would end a 57-year wait for the franchise.

The Rays, who began play in 1998, are making their third World Series appearance. They lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 and to the Dodgers in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, when the entire series was played at a neutral site in Arlington, Texas.

2. Ace vs. ace in Game 1

The series opens with a marquee pitching matchup. Milwaukee is expected to start right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, the favorite to win the National League Cy Young Award, against Tampa Bay ace Drew Rasmussen.

The matchup carries an added storyline. Rasmussen was drafted by the Brewers and traded to the Rays five years ago, and Game 1 gives him a chance to beat the team that let him go.

Rasmussen is known for his control. He walked just 32 batters in 30 regular-season starts and only three in three postseason starts. Misiorowski, a hard-throwing right-hander, has emerged as one of the most overpowering pitchers in baseball.

Oddsmakers set the Game 1 total at just six runs, a sign of how dominant both pitchers have been.

3. Strike-throwing vs. patience

One of the series' most intriguing tactical battles pits Tampa Bay's strike-throwing pitchers against Milwaukee's patient hitters.

Rays pitchers had the lowest walk rate in the majors this season and the second-highest rate of first-pitch strikes. Milwaukee's lineup, meanwhile, is known for working counts and drawing walks, an approach that helped wear down Dodgers starters in the NLCS.

NLCS MVP Jake Bauers drew a 12-pitch walk in Game 2 that helped chase Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto from the game. How well the Brewers can extend at-bats against the Rays' aggressive pitchers could decide several games.

One Brewers hitter has taken a different approach. Star outfielder Jackson Chourio has been swinging more often in the playoffs, at 56% of pitches compared with 47% in the regular season, according to ESPN, and he hit a key home run against the Dodgers.

4. Milwaukee's brilliant bullpen

The Brewers' bullpen was a major reason they swept the Dodgers. Relievers such as Aaron Ashby, JoJo Romero and DL Hall repeatedly shut down one of baseball's most dangerous lineups, while Robert Gasser threw five scoreless innings in Game 3 of the NLCS.

In the clinching Game 4, Milwaukee rallied from four runs down, with Garrett Mitchell hitting a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning and the bullpen closing out a 6-4 win.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy has shown a willingness to use his relievers aggressively, and his ability to match up late in games will be a key advantage.

5. Tampa Bay's pitching depth and Bryan Baker

The Rays counter with their own deep staff. Tampa Bay has leaned heavily on its starters during the playoffs, at times using them in relief. Freddy Peralta, Griffin Jax and Ian Seymour have all made bullpen appearances.

Closer Bryan Baker has been nearly perfect. He has finished each of the Rays' seven postseason wins and has yet to allow a run in seven innings.

The Rays will be without left-hander Shane McClanahan, who was ruled out for the postseason. Peralta, who pitched 5 1/3 innings to win the pennant-clinching Game 6 against Cleveland, is likely to play a major role.

Peralta also brings a unique connection to the series. He spent years as a key member of the Brewers' rotation before joining Tampa Bay.

6. Can Milwaukee's lineup keep producing?

The Brewers do not have a lineup full of superstars, but they have found ways to score throughout the postseason.

Bauers enjoyed a career year, hitting 26 home runs with 86 RBIs, and carried that success into October. He had six RBIs in the NLCS, including a go-ahead two-run homer in Game 3 and a key two-run double in Game 4, to become the franchise's first LCS MVP.

Catcher William Contreras, second baseman Brice Turang, Chourio and veteran Christian Yelich anchor the lineup. Mitchell and rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt have also delivered big moments.

Milwaukee has won five straight postseason games heading into the World Series, and it has shown an ability to come from behind against elite pitching.

7. Tampa Bay's young star and a guarantee delivered

The Rays' offense revolves around third baseman Junior Caminero, one of the game's brightest young hitters. Caminero homered and drove in two runs in the pennant-clinching win over Cleveland.

Veteran Yandy Díaz has also delivered in big moments. After the Rays won Game 5 in Cleveland, Díaz guaranteed that Tampa Bay would win Game 6. He followed through with a two-run homer in the eighth inning to help clinch the pennant.

Jonathan Aranda, catcher Liam Hicks and speedy outfielder Chandler Simpson add depth. Simpson's speed could be a factor against Milwaukee's strong defense.

The Rays also showed patience in Game 6, drawing eight walks, with shortstop Taylor Walls walking three times.

8. Baseball under a roof

This could be the first World Series played entirely indoors.

Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is the only ballpark in the majors with a fixed roof. American Family Field has a retractable roof, which is expected to remain closed, with temperatures forecast in the upper 40s to low 50s.

Even in previous World Series held entirely in retractable-roof ballparks, in 2020 and 2023, some games were played with the roof open.

The roofs have already played a role this postseason, and players will need to adjust to the unique conditions, including the catwalks at Tropicana Field that can occasionally affect fly balls.

9. The return of the Trop

Tropicana Field's presence in the World Series is itself a remarkable story.

The stadium was heavily damaged by Hurricane Milton in 2024, which tore away much of its fabric roof. The Rays spent the 2025 season playing at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa before returning to a repaired Tropicana Field this year.

The 2008 World Series was the only previous time World Series games were played at the Trop. With the Rays planning to move to a new ballpark in Tampa in 2029, this series could be one of the final major events at the venue.

10. Small budgets, big dreams

The Brewers and Rays are the first teams from the bottom half of baseball's payroll rankings to meet in the World Series since 1991.

Both franchises have built their success on scouting, player development, analytics and creative roster management rather than big-money free agents. Their meeting is likely to be celebrated as proof that smaller-market teams can compete with baseball's wealthiest clubs.

That point is underscored by the teams they eliminated. Milwaukee swept a Dodgers team with one of the sport's largest payrolls, while Tampa Bay swept the Yankees.

Who's favored?

The Brewers opened as favorites to win the series, at about -155 at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Rays at +135. Oddsmakers project a long series, with Milwaukee winning in six games listed as the most likely outcome.

Milwaukee holds home-field advantage after finishing with the best record in the majors. The Brewers also won two of three games against the Rays during the regular season in Milwaukee in late March and early April.

But Tampa Bay has a history of thriving as an underdog, and its pitching depth makes it a dangerous opponent.

Schedule

The series opens with Games 1 and 2 at American Family Field on Friday and Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 8 p.m. EDT on Fox. The series then shifts to Tropicana Field for Games 3 and 4 and, if necessary, Game 5. Any remaining games would be played in Milwaukee.

The bottom line

Two franchises that have never tasted a championship will meet on baseball's biggest stage, each led by deep pitching staffs and resilient lineups. Whether it is Milwaukee ending a 57-year wait or Tampa Bay finally capping years of near-misses, the 2026 World Series promises a memorable finish to a season defined by underdogs.