Jacob Misiorowski racked up 252 strikeouts in the regular season, but the Milwaukee Brewers are chasing something far bigger: their first World Series title in 44 years. Standing in their way are the Tampa Bay Rays, led by Junior Caminero, who launched 42 home runs this season. Neither franchise has won a championship, making this World Series a chance for one team to end its drought and make history.
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In a post on X, ESPN Insights framed the matchup as a historic first, writing, “History will be made in the World Series! The Brewers and Rays are both looking to win their first championship. For just the second time in 100 years, two teams seeking their first championship will meet in the Fall Classic, joining Phillies vs. Royals in 1980.”
The last such matchup was 46 years ago, in 1980, making this the first since then. The only other instance occurred back in 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in six games to capture the title. Before that, one must go back to 1920, when the Cleveland Indians defeated the Brooklyn Robins.
Another factor that makes this achievement even rarer is the length of the drought. In his ESPN column, a baseball writer named David Schoenfield mentioned how this was the “seventh-longest combined drought in World Series” in baseball history.
The Brewers are in their 57th season in Milwaukee and have not been in the Fall Classic since 1982. The Rays have been trying to win the title since 1998 but failed in 2008 and 2020.
Their seasons began to overlap in 1998, when MLB moved the Brewers from the AL to the NL to accommodate baseball’s expansion. The Brewers snapped a 26-year postseason streak in 2008, while the Rays won 97 games that same year.
The current series is also a flashback, given that each team had the best record in its league. The Brewers recorded an all-time high of 103 wins, while the Rays had 98 wins, making it just the sixth time that top seeds were facing off since 1995.
The Rays are no strangers to the World Series, having lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in 2020 and to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games in 2008.
The Brewers beat the San Diego Padres in four games in the National League Division Series (NLDS), and then swept the Dodgers in the NLCS with the help of NLCS MVP Jake Bauers, ending the Dodgers’ bid for a three-peat.
The Rays have taken a more difficult route, first sweeping the New York Yankees in the ALDS, then coming back from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Cleveland Guardians in the ALCS.
The Brewers face a question of their own on the mound. Misiorowski has not completed five innings in a start this postseason, a sharp turn from his Cy Young favorite form, which leaves a bullpen of hard-throwers on call early.
The Rays’ lineup raises a similar question: Caminero hit 42 homers in the regular season but only one this October. Hitters Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda must help, while starter Drew Rasmussen has allowed three runs over 21 innings.
Payroll further enhances the story. The Brewers stand 19th in payroll and play in the smallest metro market in Major League Baseball, while the Rays rank 28th, compared to the previous year’s Fall Classic featuring the cash-rich Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
Everything leads up to Game 1 on Friday night in Milwaukee, where a new champion will be crowned for the first time since 2023, when the Texas Rangers won. The Brewers enjoy the home-field advantage, and the Rays have two earlier trips.