World Series Game 1: Brewers Host Rays as Baseball Guarantees a First-Time Champion

Baseball is about to crown a champion it has never crowned before. The 2026 World Series begins Friday night at American Family Field, where the Milwaukee Brewers host the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox — the first Fall Classic since 1980 to feature two teams that have never won the title. The Rays punched their ticket Monday night, beating the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS at Tropicana Field to take the series 4-2. Yandy Diaz broke the game open with a two-run homer in the eighth inning, sealing Tampa Bay's third American League pennant and first World Series appearance under its current era. The Brewers, meanwhile, arrive fresh and heavily favored. Milwaukee won a franchise-record 103 games this season — the best mark in the majors — and swept the two-time defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS. Tampa went 98-64, the best record in the American League, sweeping the Yankees in the ALDS before rallying past Cleveland from a 2-1 series deficit. Friday's opener promises a duel of aces. Tampa Bay is expected to start Drew Rasmussen (16-5, 2.67 ERA in the regular season, with just three earned runs allowed in 21 playoff innings) against Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski (16-5, 1.80), the National League Cy Young favorite who has fanned 252 batters this year. The Brewers opened as -162 favorites for Game 1.