The Milwaukee Brewers will have Jacob Misiorowski go up against Nick Martinez of the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the 2026 World Series on Friday night at American Family Field.
Misiorowski, who led all MLB pitchers during the regular season with 252 strikeouts, will make his third start this postseason after throwing four innings and 4 1/2 innings against the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. Both starts resulted in the Brewers taking 1-0 leads in the NLDS and NLCS.
During Game 1 of the NLDS against the Padres, the Brewers ace saw his first pitch clocked at 104.8 mph, the fastest ever in the playoffs since MLB started tracking pitch speeds.
Misiorowski, 24, will be well rested as he will have had 11 days off since his last trip to the mound.
This will be the Brewers' first World Series appearance since 1982 and only second in franchise history.
Martinez, 36, will make his 11th career postseason start and third in these playoffs in Game 1. He pitched 3 2/3 innings in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees and allowed two runs on five hits. He next threw in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Guardians going 5 1/2 innings with one earned run and two hits allowed.
Both ended with important road victories for the Rays. Martinez has been more productive away from Tropicana Field this season. His ERA at home during the regular season was 3.90 compared to 2.43 on the road, which includes the playoffs.
Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta are expected to get the ball for Games 2 and 3 of the series for Tampa.
This postseason, Rasmussen has recorded 23 strikeouts in 21 innings with a 0.76 WHIP while holding opponents to a .178 batting average in helping the Rays to a third World Series appearance. Meanwhile, ALCS MVP Peralta has 39 strikeouts and a 0.90 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over his last nine starts.
Game 1 of the 2026 World Series between the Rays and Brewers is Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on Fox, Fox One and Fox Deportes.