World Series Preview 2026: Milwaukee Brewers vs Tampa Bay Rays

A New King

This is the kind of World Series sports fans dream about: two teams that have never won a title going head-to-head in a seven-game series.

Casual fans may have been taken by surprise, as the Dodgers and Yankees make headlines more often with their big budgets and power hitters, but Tampa and Milwaukee had the two best records in baseball. These teams look a lot alike too. They have power pitching, efficient bullpens, and know how to play station-to-station baseball.

Regardless of who wins, it’s going to be a feel-good story, and for all the right reasons.

Here’s the breakdown:

Drinking It In

The Brewers won 103 games this year, secured home field throughout the playoffs, and swept the billion-dollar Dodgers in the NL Championship Series.

Their biggest worry going into Game 1 might be that they got too much rest while waiting for the AL Championship Series to end.

After game three of the NLCS, Dodger Max Muncy was asked to explain why the series was so lopsided.

What Muncy doesn’t note, but what was clear to everyone watching, is that the Dodgers couldn’t hit the Brewers when it mattered.

It’s not just the Dodgers. Every team in baseball has struggled with the Brew Crew.

Jacob Misiorowski is the star. He threw 252 strikeouts and had an ERA of 1.8, making him a lock for the Cy Young, but this isn’t a one-man show.

The Brewers staff was first in wins and second in almost everything else. They were second in saves (behind the Rays), second in ERA (behind the Yankees), and second in strikeouts (behind the Phillies).

So far in the playoffs, their bullpen has the lowest ERA of any team, at 1.33

If pitching wins championships, this one should be a lock.

Milwaukee’s hitting is top shelf too, but they’re not about the long ball.

22 MLB players hit 30 or more home runs this year, and none of them are on the Brewers. Instead, they have guys who get hits in every slot, one through nine.

The meat of the lineup—Turang, Contreras, and Bauers—are enough to put the fear into any pitcher, but even the Brew Crew role players hit. David Hamilton only plays against righties and bats last in the lineup. In the two games he started against the Dodgers in the playoffs, he batted .500 with a home run, three steals, and four runs.

It’s the kind of lineup your grandad warned you about. There are no holes. We’ll drink to that.

Doing the Devil’s Work in Tampa

The only thing sweeter than Junior Caminero’s swing is his homerun trot.

When he hit one off the foul pole at the Trop in the ALCS, Caminero danced around the diamond and beat his chest like a pro-wrestler:

That was his 43rd homerun this season. Jonathan Aranda and Yandy Diaz both had 22 in the regular season.

While both teams play small ball, the Rays do have a little more pop and a little more flash. Chandler Simpson stole 46 bags this year, the most in the AL, and the Rays as a team had the most steals in the AL.

If that pop and flash doesn’t make the Rays the fan favorites, then their Cinderella status should. They are a mathematical improbability.

While the Yankees spent well over $300 million this year, the Rays payroll was under $100 million, and the Rays still won the division and beat the Yanks in the playoffs. 

The odds have never been in their favor, and yet the Rays keep pulling off the impossible, year after year, on a bargain basement budget, by making smart trades and developing talent.

They nabbed Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz from the Guardians in two different trades, years ago, and now their patience has paid off.

Their ace, Drew Rasmussen, has thrown 23 strikeouts in 21 innings this post-season, and the Rays acquired him from the Brewers five years ago. Expect to hear that from the TV announcers at least once an inning if he’s pitching well Friday night in Game 1.  

It’s that kind of wheeling and dealing that makes Rays compelling.

If you play fantasy sports, do NOT invite Rays President Erik Neander into your league. The man is not kidding around, on or off field.

In April, Tampa approved a $2.3 billion deal to get the Rays a new stadium in a new entertainment district. 

If things go well this week, they might have a trophy before they have a new home.

Prediction and Advice

If you’re gambling, go with the Brewers in 6. They’re the favorite for a reason. The pitching is superior, both starting and the bullpen, and while their bats aren’t as flashy, they aren’t as streaky either.

If you’re a fan, root for the Rays in 7. They’re everything that’s crazy and weird and unpredictable about baseball–and the ultimate underdog.