The 2026 World Series begins Friday night. The Milwaukee Brewers host the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 at American Family Field, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX, and the pitching matchup is set: Milwaukee flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski against Tampa Bay veteran Nick Martinez, according to Sports Illustrated.
Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80 ERA) gets the ball for the team with baseball’s best record. The Brewers went 103-59, swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, and are chasing the franchise’s first championship in their 57-year history and first World Series berth since 1982.
Martinez (15-6, 3.10 ERA) is the surprise choice for Tampa Bay. Manager Kevin Cash opted to give ace Drew Rasmussen an extra day of rest for Game 2, telling reporters, “When Nick pitches, we win.” At 36, Martinez will become the oldest pitcher to start a World Series Game 1 since 2004, and it will be his Series debut.
The matchup is a study in contrasts. Tampa Bay (98-64), the AL’s best record, ranked 22nd in home runs but second in stolen bases while striking out at the lowest rate in MLB. Milwaukee ranked near the bottom in homers too but finished second in runs scored, stealing the fifth-most bases with the highest walk rate.
Small ball vs. power pitching
Misiorowski’s 37.9 percent strikeout rate against the Rays’ contact-heavy lineup is the game’s defining battle. He fanned seven over six innings against Tampa Bay on April 1, and Milwaukee won two of three regular-season meetings while holding the Rays to three or fewer runs each time.
Milwaukee is a -200 favorite for Game 1 with the total at 6.5, per SportsHub. The Brewers are 59-26 at home this season. But Tampa Bay just outlasted the Cleveland Guardians in six games to reach its first World Series since 2020, and Yandy Diaz, the last remaining player from that roster, sealed the ALCS with an eighth-inning homer in Game 6.
With Shane McClanahan out for the postseason with forearm tightness, the Rays’ rotation depth is tested. How Martinez handles Milwaukee’s relentless lineup in his World Series debut may set the tone for the entire series.
Brewers favored, but Rays resilient
With Shane McClanahan out for the postseason with forearm tightness, the Rays’ rotation depth is tested. How Martinez handles Milwaukee’s relentless lineup in his World Series debut may set the tone for the entire series.
Milwaukee is a -200 favorite for Game 1 with the total at 6.5, per SportsHub. The Brewers are 59-26 at home this season. But Tampa Bay just outlasted the Cleveland Guardians in six games to reach its first World Series since 2020, and Yandy Diaz, the last remaining player from that roster, sealed the ALCS with an eighth-inning homer in Game 6.
The matchup is a study in contrasts. Tampa Bay (98-64), the AL’s best record, ranked 22nd in home runs but second in stolen bases while striking out at the lowest rate in MLB. Milwaukee ranked near the bottom in homers too but finished second in runs scored, stealing the fifth-most bases with the highest walk rate.
