Welcome to the 2026 World Series

Just two remain.

Tampa Bay. Milwaukee. Both are heralded among the best organizations in Major League Baseball, with fan bases among the league's most loyal and hungry.

Neither has ever won a World Series title.

With their decisive victory this Monday, the Rays punched their ticket to the World Series for the first time since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Before that, it was 2008, when Tampa Bay made its first postseason appearance since the club’s founding in 1998.

Junior Caminero’s seventh-inning blast proved to be the dagger to Cleveland’s hopes at forcing Game 7. The 23-year-old’s shouts pierced the broadcast audio as he rounded first base, matching the roar of the crowd throughout Tropicana Field.

On the other side of the bracket, no bigger story has emerged than the Brewers’ quick work over the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Their four-game sweep mirrored the two teams’ fates in 2025–this time, the Brewers are heading to the Fall Classic.

The pennant marks just the second in franchise history, with the Brewers last reaching the World Series in 1982. Garrett Mitchell and eventual NLCS MVP Jake Bauers were simply unstoppable, giving the Dodgers' pitching staff fits throughout the series. Both delivered incredibly impactful performances in the decisive Game 4.

There’s so much more to unpack; this matchup is shaping up to be one of the best World Series in recent years.  

With golden leaves now littering the ground, there’s no better time to dive into what makes this particular matchup so special.

Fast Facts

• Prior to 2026, the last time both World Series teams won 95 or more games was in 2013 (Red Sox and Cardinals).

• The Rays and Brewers own the fewest combined World Series appearances (5 total, including 2026) among matchups in the 21st century, tied with the 2023 matchup between the Rangers and Diamondbacks.

• This World Series matchup marks just the third between the top regular season teams in the AL and NL this decade (2024, 2020).

• This year's matchup is the third instance since 1920 in which two teams without a World Series title meet in the Fall Classic (1980: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Kansas City Royals; 1920: Cleveland Indians vs. Brooklyn Robins).

That’s right, this matchup between the Rays and the Brewers will be the first in over 40 years to feature two teams without a title. When the clock strikes November, only four franchises that have never won a World Series will remain–the loser of the Rays/Brewers series, the San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and the Colorado Rockies.

It’s quite plausible this scenario could be the last of its kind.

In several ways, these two squads are bringing a unique story to the table. In a league increasingly driven by pull-side power, both Milwaukee and Tampa Bay rank among the bottom four teams in pull-air%.

They also rank among the top four teams in bunt rate and are neck and neck for the title of highest proportion of opposite-field ground balls (Find more interesting stats like these from George Lewis on X).

As a result, some fans and media personalities have deemed their play styles to be “old-school baseball.” In other words, both are viewed by some as the antithesis of the “analytics movement”.

To be clear, that assertion couldn’t be further from the truth. Both organizations boast some of the largest baseball operations departments in the sport, and prioritize player development above all.

Their style of play instead highlights the remarkable ability of both front offices to expose market inefficiencies and maximize outcomes from players who might not find the same success elsewhere.

For instance, Andrew Vaughn has turned his career around since joining the Brewers last summer.

Chandler Simpson, whose play style is like no other in today’s landscape, has become a pivotal part of the Rays’ outfield.

Bryan Baker led the league in saves and has become one of baseball’s most dominant closers in his first full season with Tampa Bay.

(Read further on the Rays’ and Brewers’ roster construction/philosophy here: https://www.mlb.com/news/how-the-world-series-teams-were-built-2026)

That is to say, these are two incredibly intelligent teams. Both rosters consist of players who’ve fought tooth and nail to prove their value, all hoping to bring a championship back to their cities.

The air will be crisp on Friday night as Milwaukee faithful venture into American Family Field. The stadium will be filled with anticipation and nervous excitement.

Make no mistake: there’s no better feeling.

Welcome to the World Series.

(Data found in: baseball-reference.com, fangraphs.com, mlb.com, espn.com)

(Cover photo: Erik Drost via Wikimedia Commons)