MLB Unveils Umpire Crew for World Series as Brewers and Rays Ready Game 1 in Milwaukee

Major League Baseball announced Thursday, Oct. 22, the umpiring crew for the 2026 World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. Veteran James Hoye will serve as crew chief of the nine-umpire crew. Seven umpires will work the field in a rotation that puts a different official behind home plate each game, while Alfonso Martinez and D.J. Reyburn will oversee the league's replay system for the entire series.

Gabe Morales will call balls and strikes for Game 1 on Friday night at American Family Field, with Nic Lentz at first, Hoye at second, Vic Carapazza at third, Dan Bellino in left, Tripp Gibson in right, and Jim Wolf in reserve.

The announcement comes one day before the Fall Classic begins with a pitching matchup that was set earlier this week. The Brewers will start ace Jacob Misiorowski, the presumed National League Cy Young winner after he led the majors with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts, against Rays veteran Nick Martinez. Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash made the surprising call to skip ace Drew Rasmussen in favor of Martinez, saying he prioritized giving Rasmussen extra rest after the right-hander threw 21 innings with a 1.29 ERA through the first three rounds.

Milwaukee earned home-field advantage with a 103-59 record, five games ahead of the Rays, and Friday's 8 p.m. ET opener on FOX marks the Brewers' first World Series appearance since 1982. Either way, baseball is guaranteed a first-time champion.