A Historic Matchup for the Ages: Milwaukee Brewers vs Tampa Bay Rays

On Friday night, the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays will make history as it'll be the first World Series since 1980 to feature two teams vying for their first championship and the first to feature two expansion teams. It'll also feature the first World Series matchup to feature two small market teams since the Marlins and then Cleveland Indians in 1997. Both the Brewers and Rays have never won a World Series title, being among one of the five teams that has yet to achieve this feat. I love that two of the smallest market teams are in the Fall Classic, because it's proof that you don't need an extravagant payroll in order to become successful in October. Let's use the Texas Rangers and Arizona Diamondbacks as an example. These were also two small market teams that no one expected to reach the World Series. Despite the Rangers winning their first championship in franchise history and finishing with an 11-0 record on the road, this matchup garnered a paltry nine million viewers, according to Nielsen, making it the least viewed Fall Classic in MLB history. One important fact to pass along to everyone: an average of 7.53 million viewers watched the NLCS matchup between the Brewers and Dodgers. Game 4 had 6.36 million viewers and people's eyes were glued to this game in particular because of the monumental upset of the latter team. For context, The Brew Crew finished the 2026 MLB season with 103 wins and Dodgers with 100. Vegas Odds currently have the Brewers at a 62% chance of winning it all.

The Tampa Bay Rays won the American League pennant by defeating the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 Monday night and Freddy Peralta was named ALCS MVP. Peralta finishes the Postseason with a 2-0 record with a 0.75 ERA in 12 innings pitched (1.08 in the entire Postseason overall). Jacob Misiorowski, aka The Miz, has been amazing during the regular season and the Postseason. He finished the regular season with a 16-5 record and an ERA of 1.80. He's definitely a lock for the NL Cy Young Award. As for Jake Bauers, he at one point contemplated retirement after the 2024 season. The NLCS MVP went from four teams releasing him to being in the World Series. His decision to not retire was the right choice.

So, who am I picking to win the World Series? After comparing stats of both teams, I'm leaning heavily towards the Brewers. Brewers fans and Milwaukee in general have waited 44 years for this moment. Winning their first championship in franchise history would be the best story that people would share for years to come. Plus, it would be a win for the late Bob Uecker. He was born in 1934 in Milwaukee. Uecker played for four different teams during his six-year MLB career, winning a World Series title with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964. After his career concluded, Uecker went to become the voice of the Brewers on the radio for 54 years from 1971 to 2024. His nickname "Mr. Baseball" was given by Johnny Carson, due to his 100 plus appearances on The Tonight Show during the 1970s and 1980s. Ueecker's most famous catchphrase was "Juuust a bit outside!" He had a small number of acting roles, with the most notable one playing Harry Doyle in the Major League movies. On January 16, 2025, Uecker passed away from cancer at the age of 90. He was 10 days away from turning 91. I chose the Brewers on the basis of overall performance and statistics. This isn't in any way of me saying that the Rays weren't successful during the 2026 regular season or the Postseason. They deserve plenty of credit for making it this far and will have a great future ahead of them, regardless of if they win the World Series or not.

This matchup isn't what many people expected, but glad that either one of the teams were not named the Los Angeles Dodgers. It'll be a very important and historic one worth watching, because one of them will hoist the Commissioner's Trophy high. So, let me know in the comments below who you're rooting for in the World Series. Even if you're not a fan of baseball, this will be talked about months after it has concluded.