From spring training through a 162-game marathon and three rounds of playoff baseball, we've finally made it: Game 1 of the 2026 World Series kicks off on Friday night, as the AL champion Tampa Bay Rays travel to American Family Field to take on the NL champion Milwaukee Brewers. Two teams enter; only one will get to celebrate its first title in franchise history.
Hardly anyone expected Tampa to be here at the start of the year, given that they were darn near the consensus last-place team in the AL East. But through pitching, defense, the slugging of Junior Caminero and a slew of unheralded position players all doing their part, the Rays darn near ran the gamut as the top seed in the American League. One of those success stories, journeyman righty Nick Martinez, will get the ball to start Game 1, as Kevin Cash attempts to give Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta a little extra rest. If Caminero, Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda have it clicking, this team will be very tough to beat.
Of course, that's easier said than done when the Brewers have Jacob Misiorowski on the mound, as they will on Friday night. The Miz has yet to really have his signature October moment; then again, he was the best pitcher in the sport this year with a bullet, and when you can hit 105 mph on the radar gun, the odds will be in your favor every time. No one, not even the big, bad Dodgers, have been able to crack this Milwaukee pitching staff all month, and Brice Turang, Jackson Chourio and William Contreras have provided enough offense to help the Crew storm through the NL.
Will that continue in Game 1, as Milwaukee welcomes World Series baseball for the first time in 40 years? Or will the Rays manage to defy the odds yet again? Fans can follow along with all of the action, player stats and game stats with us below.
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Box score: Rays vs. Brewers live player stats and team stats
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