Rays and Brewers set for 122nd World Series as writers back Tampa Bay in seven
Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers meet in the 122nd World Series beginning Friday 23 October 2026, and a panel of writers has offered predictions on who will capture a first title and how the series will be decided.
The matchup guarantees a first-time World Series winner, only the second Fall Classic since 1920 with that outcome, and arrived after a season in which FanGraphs had given the Rays a 1.1% chance and the Brewers a 2.1% chance of winning in April; writers noted that for both clubs the campaign is already a success regardless of the result. Commentary in the preview contrasted big-market expectations with the smaller budgets of these teams, arguing that money buys depth but cannot assure October success, and urged readers to enjoy the matchup without letting ownership or impending labour debates distort it.
The series is scheduled as a best-of-seven with Game 1 on Fri 23 Oct: Tampa Bay at Milwaukee, 8pm EDT (Fox). Game 2 is Sat 24 Oct, Tampa Bay at Milwaukee, 8pm; Games 3 and 4 are Mon 26 and Tue 27 Oct with Milwaukee at Tampa Bay, both at 8pm; Games 5-7 are Wed 28 Oct, Fri 30 Oct and Sat 31 Oct respectively (all 8pm, Fox) with Games 5-7 marked with asterisk in the original schedule. In the United States all games will air on Fox and Fox Deportes with streaming via Fox One; in the UK TNT Sports will carry the series and in Australia coverage will be on ESPN with streaming through Disney+ and Kayo Sports.
Jacob Misiorowski is singled out as a potential premier starter but the consensus advice for Milwaukee emphasised the strength of their relief corps: "bullpens win championships" is cited and the Brewers’ bullpen was described as one of the league’s best, with only the Yankees recording a better collective regular season earned run average; the sweep of the Dodgers in the previous round also means Milwaukee’s rotation will be starting on full rest. Alan Evans advised forcing the Rays to chase by getting ahead in counts, limiting free passes and preventing Tampa Bay from improvising, while another writer warned not to overuse the Brewers’ bullpen ahead of a planned bullpen game in Game 4.
Tampa Bay’s blueprint for the series centres on small-ball versatility and getting two of their "big three"—Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero—going at the plate at the same time; writers urged the Rays to turn baserunners into problems by stealing and taking extra bases without giving away outs. David Lengel noted that "Ace Shane McClanahan is injured," and recommended inventiveness with opening pitchers and other unconventional deployments late in the season. Commentary also singled out managerial matchups, saying Kevin Cash must excel in the dugout against Pat Murphy.
Several individual players were highlighted as potential series protagonists: Alan Evans named Chandler Simpson of Tampa Bay as a talismanic figure for tight, small-ball games; Bryan Armen Graham chose Junior Caminero as the hitter capable of an emphatic swing that could decide margins; David Lengel picked Drew Rasmussen of Tampa Bay as a pitcher who could "reach the pinnacle" in the Fall Classic. Cultural and fan-impact predictions included a forecast that Tampa Bay would clinch while wearing their Devil Rays throwback jerseys — the team went 12-3 in those jerseys during the regular season and were 2-0 in the postseason at the time of publication — and that the franchise might revert to the throwback name within a year, a claim presented as part of the writers’ speculative pieces.
All three contributors concluded the series would go the distance with identical series scores: each predicted the Rays to win 4-3 over the Brewers. Game 1 is set for Friday 23 October at 8pm EDT in Milwaukee, and the schedule above outlines the full sequence of games and broadcast arrangements for the remainder of the Fall Classic.