The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays will play Game 1 of the World Series on Friday.
Both teams play a similar style of baseball, not relying on the long ball like most of the league. The Brewers were tied for 28th in the league in home runs and the Rays were ranked 22nd. However, both teams scored a ton of runs.
The Brewers scored the second most runs in baseball, and the Rays scored the 12th most. They excel at what is seen as small ball, but it comes down to simply putting the ball in play. They were the top two teams in baseball in hits.
According to MLB Network's Sarah Langs, it is the first time since 1964 that the teams that led their league in hits meet in the World Series. That season, the St. Louis Cardinals defeated the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic.
While both teams racked up the hits in the regular season, hits may be hard to come by in this series. Both teams boast elite pitching staffs, and the Brewers specifically excel at limiting contact. They recorded the second-most strikeouts in baseball this year.
On the other hand, the Rays strike out less than any team in baseball. While this series may not be full of superstars, there will still be plenty of action.
Whichever pitching staff can do the best job of limiting the other team's ability to get on base and manufacture runs will be in a good spot.