The Rays vs Brewers World Series Game 1 matchup opens Friday at 8 p.m. ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee, pitting the top two records in baseball against each other for the first time in franchise history. Neither the Tampa Bay Rays (98-64) nor the Milwaukee Brewers (103-59) has ever won a World Series title, and the biggest question entering the opener is which team’s pitching staff can slow down a lineup that just steamrolled its way through October.
Milwaukee swept the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 in the NLCS after beating the San Diego Padres in the NLDS, extending a winning streak that stands at five games. Tampa Bay needed a comeback to get here, rallying from down 2-1 in the ALCS to beat the Cleveland Guardians three straight times after sweeping the New York Yankees in the ALDS.
World Series Game 1 Game Information
- Date: Friday, Oct. 23
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: American Family Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- TV/Streaming: Fox, ERADM
- Series: World Series, Game 1 (series starts Oct. 23)
- Weather: 60 degrees, 0% chance of precipitation
Who Starts Game 1 For Each Team?
Jacob Misiorowski is the announced Game 1 starter for Milwaukee, listed with a 3.24 ERA and no decisions yet recorded this postseason. He led all MLB starting pitchers in the regular season with a 1.80 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, 252 strikeouts and a .157 opponent batting average, according to Fox Sports. He has not completed five innings in any of his postseason starts, a workload detail that could shape how deep Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy lets him go in the opener.
Nick Martinez is listed as Tampa Bay’s probable starter with a 3.00 ERA and a 1-0 postseason record. The Rays also lean on Drew Rasmussen, a two-time All-Star who came within four outs of the fourth no-hitter in MLB postseason history during ALDS Game 1 against the Yankees on Oct. 3, according to ESPN. Tampa Bay’s staff, under manager Kevin Cash, held opponents to three runs or fewer in eight of its nine playoff games.
Are There Injury Concerns For Either Roster?
Both teams enter the World Series with significant pitching depth already sidelined. Milwaukee has right-hander Brandon Woodruff on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, reliever Grant Anderson on the 15-day injured list with right biceps inflammation, and starters Quinn Priester and Angel Zerpa out following shoulder and elbow surgeries, respectively. Tampa Bay is without left-hander Shane McClanahan because of left forearm soreness, along with outfielders Gavin Lux and Jacob Melton and relievers Edwin Uceta and Jonathan Heasley, all on extended injured-list stints. None of those absences involve the probable Game 1 starters.
Can The Rays’ Speed Offset Milwaukee’s Bullpen?
Tampa Bay led the American League with 164 stolen bases during the regular season, fueled by outfielder Chandler Simpson, who topped the AL with 46 steals and hit .306 on the year. Milwaukee was not far behind, ranking fifth in MLB with 162 steals. The matchup of speed against Milwaukee’s bullpen could be pivotal, since that relief corps ranked third in MLB in ERA at 3.40 and third in opponent batting average at .223, per Fox Sports figures.
Tampa Bay’s lineup centers on third baseman Junior Caminero, who led the team with 42 home runs and 101 RBIs in the regular season but entered the ALCS clincher just 7-for-30 with two RBIs and no home runs in October. Designated hitter Yandy Díaz, a two-time All-Star, led the AL with 180 hits, and Jonathan Aranda rounds out Tampa Bay’s top offensive trio.
How Does Milwaukee’s Offense Compare?
The Brewers’ offense led all of MLB with 1,422 hits and a .341 on-base percentage during the regular season. Second baseman Brice Turang, a 2024 Gold Glove winner, ranked third in MLB with 7.3 wins above replacement and drove in 100 runs. Outfielder Jackson Chourio led the team with a .291 batting average, while first baseman Jake Bauers topped Milwaukee with 26 home runs. Through eight playoff games, Milwaukee ranks first among the 12 postseason teams with a .250 batting average, .343 on-base percentage and .396 slugging percentage, according to Fox Sports.
Neither Team Relies On The Long Ball
Both clubs finished in the bottom third of MLB in home runs during the regular season, according to ESPN, a trait unusual for pennant winners. Tampa Bay ranked 29th in the share of its runs coming via homer and Milwaukee ranked 30th, last in the league. Tampa Bay also ranked last in MLB with a 5.7% barrel percentage and was 29th in hard-hit percentage at 34.6%, according to Fox Sports figures, numbers that point to a team built more on contact and speed than raw power.
Closer Bryan Baker gives Tampa Bay a late-inning weapon, tying for the MLB lead with 41 saves in the regular season.
What To Watch
This is the first World Series matchup between two teams that have never won the title since the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals in 1980, a 46-year gap, according to ESPN. It is also a meeting of two of the sport’s smaller spenders. Tampa Bay ranked 28th in MLB payroll and Milwaukee 19th as of Aug. 31, with the Associated Press noting it marks the first World Series between two of MLB’s smallest-spending franchises since 1991. Milwaukee has reached the playoffs in eight of the last nine seasons, while Tampa Bay missed the postseason the previous two years before winning the AL pennant this season.
The series also opens about six weeks before a possible management lockout that threatens the 2027 season, according to the Associated Press, adding stakes beyond the field for both franchises.
Game 2 of the World Series follows this weekend in Milwaukee before the series shifts to Tampa Bay.
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