Brewers edge Rays 3-2 in Game 1 as small-market clubs meet in World Series amid labour fight
On Friday at American Family Field, the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 1 of the World Series.
Both clubs arrive in the fall classic as among Major League Baseball’s lowest spenders yet highest regular-season achievers: Milwaukee won 103 games and Tampa Bay 98 in the regular season. Milwaukee’s payroll is listed at $146m and ranks 19th in the 30-team league, while Tampa Bay’s $96m payroll sits 28th, according to Spotrac; the matchup is the first World Series pairing in 46 years and only the second since 1920 between two franchises that have never won the title.
Game 1 featured a rapid start and a late, tense finish. Jacob Misiorowski, the 24-year-old who led MLB in strikeouts during the regular season, threw on 11 days’ rest and opened with the fastest pitch ever recorded in a World Series—103.5mph—allowing one run across five innings. “Not perfect, but good enough to get a win,” he said.
Milwaukee led 3-1 after seven innings before Tampa Bay scored in the ninth and loaded the bases. A ground ball to third appeared to end the game when Liam Hicks hit into a double play, but Tampa Bay successfully challenged and review showed Cooper Pratt had taken his foot off second base too early. The Brewers secured the win when closer Trevor Megill struck out outfielder Jonny DeLuca for the final out.
William Contreras drove in a run and threw out two attempted base-stealers, prompting manager Pat Murphy to declare Contreras the "player of the game." Christian Yelich, speaking to Fox Sports, said: “It’s a big credit to Trev for locking back in right there and making some huge pitches after. You know, you kind of have that emotional dump and then you have to get back on it.”
The pairing has been framed around spending and strategy, with commentary contrasting analytics-driven construction against high payrolls. The Dodgers have won the National League West 13 of the past 14 seasons and were widely expected to challenge for a third straight World Series before Milwaukee swept them 4-0 in the National League Championship Series; only the Dodgers, Brewers, Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees have posted more regular-season wins in the 2020s than the Rays.
Business and broadcast details accompanied the on-field action: standing-room-only resale prices for Game 2 in Milwaukee were reported as north of $3,000, and U.S. television rights for the series are held by Fox and Fox Deportes with streaming via Fox One; the UK broadcaster is TNT Sports and Australia coverage is on ESPN with streaming through Disney+ and Kayo Sports. The scheduled remaining games, all times US Eastern Daylight Time, list Sat 24 Oct Game 2: Tampa Bay at Milwaukee, 8pm (Fox); Mon 26 Oct Game 3: Milwaukee at Tampa Bay, 8pm (Fox); Tue 27 Oct Game 4: Milwaukee at Tampa Bay, 8pm (Fox); Wed 28 Oct Game 5: Milwaukee at Tampa Bay, 8pm* (Fox); Fri 30 Oct Game 6: Tampa Bay at Milwaukee, 8pm* (Fox); Sat 31 Oct Game 7: Tampa Bay at Milwaukee, 8pm* (Fox).
Off-field negotiations and finances remain a central storyline: Bruce Meyer, the interim head of the players’ union, called the owners’ proposal of a salary cap a “nuclear bomb” and argued that two small-market clubs in the World Series shows competitive balance can exist without a cap, while MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said, “It’s been 40 years since we’re here. Once every 40 years is not enough. It’s not that no small market can win, it’s just that it’s pretty rare.” Owners are described as virtually certain to lock out the players on 1 December in a dispute over money that will threaten the start of the 2027 season.