2026 World Series: Brewers vs Rays
Neither Team Has Ever Won. That Changes This Week.
The 2026 World Series is already guaranteed to crown a first-time champion. The Milwaukee Brewers (103-59) and the Tampa Bay Rays (98-64) have never won a Fall Classic in a combined 101 years of franchise history. One of them ends that wait before Halloween. Brewers lead the series 1-0 after a 3-2 win in Game 1 on October 23. Game 2 is tonight, October 25, at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. As of October 25, 2026.
Series score
Brewers lead 1-0
Game 1 result
Brewers 3, Rays 2 (American Family Field)
Game 2
Oct 25, 8 p.m. ET, FOX (Milwaukee)
Game 3
Oct 26, 8 p.m. ET, FOX (Tampa Bay)
Game 4
Oct 27, 8 p.m. ET, FOX (Tampa Bay)
Game 5 (if needed)
Oct 28 (Tampa Bay)
Game 6 (if needed)
Oct 30 (Milwaukee)
Game 7 (if needed)
Oct 31 (Milwaukee)
Brewers to win series
74% (Polymarket), -295 (Fox Sports)
Rays to win series
26% (Polymarket), +240 (Fox Sports)
Game 1: Misiorowski, Chourio, and a Ninth-Inning Scare
Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski opened Game 1 with a 103.5 mph first pitch and delivered five innings of one-run ball, stranding the Rays 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Milwaukee scored twice in the first inning on a Christian Yelich RBI triple and a William Contreras single, then Jackson Chourio added an insurance run in the seventh with an opposite-field single off reliever Kevin Kelly. The game nearly slipped away in the ninth. What looked like a game-ending double play was overturned on replay: shortstop Cooper Pratt's foot came off the bag. The Rays had two runners on. Closer Trevor Megill struck out Jonny DeLuca to end it. Final: Brewers 3, Rays 2.
Game 2: Rasmussen vs Henderson Tonight
Drew Rasmussen starts for Tampa Bay tonight in what is the most important game of his career. The Rays ace posted a 2.67 ERA this season and went 11-0 with a 1.73 ERA across his last 15 starts including the postseason. He was four outs from a no-hitter against the Yankees in the ALDS. Down 0-1 in a series, Rasmussen is the one pitcher who can reset this matchup. Logan Henderson starts for Milwaukee. The Rays go 0-2 in this series and they are playing from deep in a hole: no team has come back from 0-2 to win a best-of-seven World Series since the 2004 Red Sox.
The Brewers: A 44-Year Wait and the Fastest Pitcher on Earth
Milwaukee last appeared in the World Series in 1982, lost to St. Louis in seven games, and never returned. The 2026 Brewers swept the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS to get here. NLCS MVP Jake Bauers hit .286/.412/.571 against Los Angeles. The rotation is anchored by Jacob Misiorowski, who led all of MLB in strikeouts and ERA in 2026 and became the first pitcher in MLB history to throw 1,000 pitches at 100 mph or faster in a single season. Brandon Woodruff was scheduled for season-ending surgery in August. He recovered in time to make the World Series roster, returning to the franchise he has served for his entire career. Jackson Chourio, 22, batted .291 with 25 home runs in the regular season and is already the face of the franchise's future. William Contreras leads the World Series MVP odds at +700 after his Game 1 contribution.
The Rays: 98 Wins and a Roster Built From Castoffs
Tampa Bay won 98 regular-season games, swept the Yankees in the ALDS, and beat the Cleveland Guardians in six in the ALCS. They did it the Rays way: a roster assembled almost entirely from players other teams did not want. Cam Booser did not join the team until June and became one of the best relievers in the AL. Freddy Peralta, acquired from Milwaukee in the Willy Adames trade, will face his old team starting in Game 3. The Rays went 72-11 in one-run games during the regular season, the best such record in MLB. They went 7-1 in the postseason when allowing three runs or fewer. Game 1 was exactly the kind of game Tampa Bay should have won. They did not. If that pattern holds, the series is over quickly. If the Rays hold it to one run again in Game 2, the complexion changes entirely.
Jacob Misiorowski (MIL SP)
2026 MLB leader in ERA and strikeouts
Jacob Misiorowski first pitch, Game 1
103.5 mph
Drew Rasmussen (TB SP)
2.67 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 174 K in 2026
Rasmussen last 15 starts (incl. playoffs)
11-0, 1.73 ERA
Brandon Woodruff (MIL RP)
career 3.10 ERA, entire career with Brewers
Jackson Chourio (MIL LF)
.291 BA, 25 HR in 2026 regular season
William Contreras (MIL C)
World Series MVP odds leader (+700)
Rays record in one-run games, 2026 regular season
72-11
One of these franchises will win its first World Series title. The Brewers were founded in 1969. The Rays began play in 1998. Neither team has ever held the Commissioner's Trophy. Whoever wins, it is a city's first.
