It all begins tonight. After a 162-game regular season and three rounds of the playoffs, we are down to the final two. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays meet tonight for Game 1 of the 20216 World Series. We are guaranteed to see a first-time champion after this series. Both teams were the top seed in their respective leagues, so we’re in for a classic battle.
Before the fun starts, let’s see how both teams got to this point. What are the key storylines of this World Series? And, most importantly, who is winning their first championship?
World Series Preview: Brewers vs. Rays
Head-to-Head
The Brewers and Rays met early in the season. The Brewers won two of three, taking the short-series win. The Brewers also lead the record, 15-13.
Road to the World Series
Brewers
The Brewers entered 2026 looking to rebound from their sweep in last season’s National League Championship Series. They set a franchise record with 103 wins, leading the Major Leagues. In the National League Division Series, they beat the San Diego Padres in four games, including a come-from-behind win in Game 2 against one of baseball’s best closers, Mason Miller.
The NLCS pitted them against the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, who swept them in 2025. The Dodgers sought their first three-peat since the New York Yankees did so from 1998-2000. The Brewers would get revenge this time, sweeping the Dodgers.
The hometown radio call of the Brewers winning the NL Pennant is ELECTRIC ‼️ https://t.co/xXMQJcxCnj
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 16, 2026
This is the Brewers’ second World Series appearance. They last made it in 1982, when they were in the American League. The Brewers lost in seven games to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Rays
2026 would be a special season in Tampa Bay. After playing all home games elsewhere in 2025 because Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field in 2024, the Rays returned to “The Trop.”
Despite playing in a competitive AL East, the Rays won the division title and reached the postseason for the first time since 2023. Furthermore, their 97 wins led the AL. They swept the Yankees in the ALDS, then beat the Cleveland Guardians in six games to win the pennant.
YOUR TAMPA BAY RAYS ARE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
#ForTampaBay | #Postseason https://t.co/w7xFb3yGpc
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 20, 2026
This is the Rays’ third World Series appearance. They first made it in 2008, when they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. They then won the pennant during the unique 2020 season, falling to the Dodgers in six games.
World Series Storylines
Familiar Faces
Some faces will be familiar to both teams.
The Rays drafted Drew Rasmussen in 2017. However, he opted to return to college, but eventually underwent Tommy John surgery. The Brewers drafted him in 2018, and he made his MLB debut during the shortened 2020 season. The next season, the Brewers traded Rasmussen to the Rays for shortstop Willy Adames. The trade benefited both clubs, but now Rasmussen will take the mound for the team that originally drafted him against the team he broke into the big leagues with.
Like Rasmussen, NLCS MVP Jake Bauers was drafted by the Rays and played for them in 2018. After that, he bounced around for a few seasons before finding a home in Milwaukee. Bauers had a breakout season with the Brew Crew, hitting 26 home runs. He has hit some key home runs this postseason and is a big threat the Rays will have to watch.
Then there is Freddy Peralta. From 2018-2025, he was one of baseball’s top pitchers, helping the Brewers reach the postseason multiple times. He pitched in several big games for the team, and after the team parted ways with Corbin Burnes, he became their ace. As a pending free agent, the Mets traded Peralta. However, he struggled with the Mets, but the Rays acquired him at the trade deadline, hoping he would regain his form. He did, earning ALCS MVP honors.
Rest vs. Rust?
The Brewers will be the most rested team in this World Series. After sweeping the Dodgers last Thursday, they’ve had seven days off. The Rays will have had only three days between winning the pennant and Game 1.
Rest isn’t always a good thing, though. Teams that sweep their LCS don’t always fare well in the World Series. The latest example of a team sweeping the LCS and losing in the World Series was the 2015 Mets, who swept the Chicago Cubs before falling in five games to the Kansas City Royals.
In fact, since the best-of-seven LCS format started in 1985, only two teams have swept the LCS and went on to win the World Series (1995 Atlanta Braves, 2019 Washington Nationals, and 2025 Dodgers).
Each Team’s Strength
The Brewers’ biggest strength is their bullpen. The relief core has posted a 1.33 ERA through eight playoff games. Trevor Megill has been lights-out as the team’s closer. The bullpen has been good at holding leads and keeping deficits at bay. Game 4 of the NLCS is a great example. The Dodgers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the second inning. However, they did not score another run after that, setting the stage for the Brewers’ comeback win. JoJo Romero and Aaron Ashby combined to throw five shutout innings.
The Rays also have strong pitching, but unlike the Brewers, it comes from their rotation. In an era when managers are willing to go to the bullpen as early as possible, manager Kevin Cash takes another approach: letting starters go deep into games. Of course, this is possible because their starting pitching has been so effective. Drew Rasmussen, Peralta, and Nick Martinez have been Cash’s “big three.” This has kept the bullpen fresh and not overused. Perhaps Cash learned his lesson from Game 6 in 2020, when he pulled Blake Snell too early.
Writer’s Prediction: The 2026 World Series Champion
Pitching wins games in the postseason. The Brewers bullpen has been lights-out and has set the team up to win its first championship.
Unless, of course, a fresher bullpen outmatches them.
Starting pitching will be the difference maker in this series. We know the Brewers will not hesitate to pull their starter early. The Rays will let their “big three” go deep into games. The Rays’ bullpen will be fresher and, as a result, more effective. It will not be easy to shut down this explosive Brewers lineup, but the Rays will find a way when it matters most.
This series will require six games. By the end of the night, the Tampa Bay Rays will be World Series champions for the first time in franchise history.
As for the World Series MVP, I think Peralta will become the tenth player to win the LCS and World Series MVP.
The Last Word
Please comment your World Series predictions below. How do you think things unfold? Who, in your opinion, is winning their first World Series?
Main Photo: Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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