The Briefing:
- Game 1 is Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. ET from American Family Field in Milwaukee — live in Spanish on FOX Deportes, with Univision simulcasting the opener and TUDN Radio carrying Spanish audio for every game of the series.
- Jackson Chourio, 22, has accumulated 6 career postseason home runs and 18 career postseason RBI — both Brewers franchise records — heading into the Fall Classic; William Contreras brings a 2021 World Series ring and back-to-back Silver Sluggers to complete Milwaukee's Venezuelan battery.
- Junior Caminero, 23, led Tampa Bay with 42 home runs and 101 RBI in 2026 — the Dominican third baseman is the AL's most dangerous power threat in this series and enters ranked third among World Series MVP favorites.
- This is the first World Series since 1980 in which both clubs arrive without a championship in their history, meaning one franchise's long wait ends before Halloween.
Two Cities, One Region, No Championship — Yet
The 2026 World Series carries more Latin American weight than any Fall Classic in recent memory. When the Milwaukee Brewers host the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 on Friday night, it will be the first time since 1980 that two franchises without a title in their histories have faced each other for the Commissioner's Trophy. The players most likely to decide who finally ends that drought are, overwhelmingly, from Latin America — and most of them are under 25.
For Milwaukee, it marks the franchise's first World Series appearance since 1982. For Tampa Bay, it is a third trip to the Fall Classic, though the club remains without a title after losses in 2008 and 2020. Both rosters are built around a Latin core that stretches from the starting lineup through the bullpen, and both feature players arriving in October still riding the adrenaline of a Venezuelan gold medal.
Jackson Chourio: The Franchise Record-Breaker at 22
Jackson Chourio already holds both of the Brewers' all-time postseason records — most home runs and most RBI in franchise playoff history — and the World Series has not yet begun. The 22-year-old outfielder from Maracaibo, Venezuela, reached those marks by building his career postseason total to 6 home runs and 18 RBI across three October runs — surpassing Hall of Famer Andruw Jones for the most postseason RBI accumulated before turning 23 in baseball history.
Chourio was scouted by Milwaukee at 14 and signed as an international free agent in January 2021 at age 16, with a $1.9 million bonus. In his 2026 regular season he posted 152 hits, 25 home runs, 96 runs scored and 75 RBI before a left-hand injury — sustained while helping Venezuela win gold at the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Miami — cost him the first month of the season. Oddsmakers have installed him as a co-favorite for World Series MVP alongside his battery-mate behind the plate.
William Contreras: The Ring-Holder Who Anchors the Lineup
That battery-mate is William Contreras, the three-time All-Star catcher from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, and the only player in this World Series who already owns a championship ring. Contreras won the title with the Atlanta Braves in 2021 before being traded to Milwaukee, where he won back-to-back Silver Slugger Awards in 2023 and 2024. Together, Chourio and Contreras form the most dangerous Latin American battery in October baseball — and both wore Venezuela's colors when their country defeated the United States 3-2 in the WBC championship game on March 17 in Miami.
A Brewers championship would make Chourio, Contreras and the other Venezuelan members of the roster among the rare athletes to win a World Baseball Classic gold medal and a World Series ring in the same calendar year. Also on Milwaukee's active roster: outfielder Luis Lara (Venezuela), catcher Gary Sánchez (Dominican Republic) and reliever Abner Uribe (Dominican Republic). Reliever Ángel Zerpa, who also represented Venezuela at the WBC, remains on the injured list and his availability for the Fall Classic is still uncertain.
Junior Caminero: Tampa Bay's 23-Year-Old Power Machine
Tampa Bay answers Milwaukee's Venezuelan core with its own generational talent. Junior Caminero, the 23-year-old third baseman from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, posted 42 home runs and 101 RBI in 2026 — ranking second in the American League in home runs and third in RBI. He appeared in his second consecutive All-Star Game this summer and became the first Rays player in franchise history to produce back-to-back seasons of 40 or more home runs and 100 or more RBI.
On September 11, Caminero delivered a walk-off home run against Houston to clinch Tampa Bay's playoff spot — his 40th of the season. He closed out September with two more. Oddsmakers place him third among World Series MVP candidates, behind only the two Venezuelans on Milwaukee's roster. Caminero also represented the Dominican Republic at the 2026 WBC, where the club reached the semifinals before falling to Team USA.
Cuba and Mexico Round Out Tampa Bay's Latin Core
Yandy Díaz, 35, from Villa Clara, Cuba, batted .293 with 22 home runs and 85 RBI in 2026 to earn his second All-Star selection. The veteran designated hitter serves as Tampa Bay's everyday leadoff man and is the lineup's most consistent on-base presence. First baseman Jonathan Aranda from Baja California, Mexico, delivered .274 with 22 home runs and 92 RBI, providing left-handed balance at the top of the Rays' order. Outfielder Víctor Mesa Jr. (Cuba, 25) contributed 14 home runs in a part-time role after being acquired from Miami in February. Infielder Jorge Mateo, a shortstop from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, joined the club in August and brings elite defensive versatility to the Rays' bench.
The Tampa Bay franchise set an MLB precedent on Roberto Clemente Day in 2022 when it became the first team in major league history to field an entirely Latin American starting lineup — a milestone that still defines the organization's identity four years later.
How to Watch Game 1 in Spanish
According to the official MLB broadcast schedule, every game of the 2026 World Series is available in Spanish on FOX Deportes, with Univision simulcasting Game 1 on Friday night. TUDN Radio carries Spanish-language audio for the entire series. Game 1 starts at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT from American Family Field. Jacob Misiorowski starts on the mound for Milwaukee opposite Tampa Bay's Drew Rasmussen, who went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA this season. The Brewers enter as slight favorites at -155, with Tampa Bay sitting at +135.
For the first time since 1980, both teams arrive at the World Series still chasing their first championship. But the Latino players on each side have already conquered something — a WBC gold medal, a franchise record shattered in October, or an All-Star honor earned against the best in the game. One side will add a championship ring before the month is out.
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