Now that the American League Championship Series is in the books, the 2026 World Series is officially set. The Tampa Bay Rays closed out the Cleveland Guardians with a 7-3 win in Game 6 on Monday night at Tropicana Field, taking the series 4-2 and winning the third pennant in franchise history. Waiting for them are the Milwaukee Brewers, who have been resting since sweeping the Dodgers last Thursday. Two No. 1 seeds. Two franchises that have never won a World Series. One of them is about to.
Down 2-1, Then the Rays Did What the Rays Do
After Game 3 in Cleveland, the Rays were down two games to one and the Guardians had the momentum. Over the next three games, Tampa Bay outscored Cleveland 17-7. They did not do it with home runs. They did it the way they did it all season: deep starting pitching, a lineup that puts the ball in play, and enough pressure on the bases to make the other team flinch.
Game 4 evened the series with a 7-3 win. That turned the ALCS into a best-of-three, and the Rays won both.
Sunday in Cleveland: Rasmussen Sets the Table
If you read my regular season review, you know Drew Rasmussen is the guy who clinched the AL East at Yankee Stadium back on Sept. 22. On Sunday he did it again on a bigger stage. Rasmussen went seven innings in Game 5 and allowed one run on four hits and one walk while striking out six.
The Rays scored a run in each of the first three innings, starting with a bases-loaded walk in the first. After that, the offense went quiet, managing only three more baserunners the rest of the night, but three runs was plenty. Steven Kwan kept Cleveland close with his glove in left field, and there is a reason he keeps collecting Gold Gloves. It just was not enough. Rays 3, Guardians 1.
The bigger problem for Cleveland was what came next. A short start from the Guardians in Game 5 meant their bullpen was already stretched, and with the series headed back to St. Petersburg the very next day, there was no time to recover.
Monday in St. Petersburg: Freddy Peralta’s Revenge Tour Gets a Final Stop
You could not write Freddy Peralta’s season any better. He was a Brewer last year. Milwaukee traded him to the Mets in the offseason. It never clicked in New York, so the Mets moved him to Tampa Bay midseason, and the Rays had him fixed within a handful of starts. He finished the regular season with a 0.79 ERA over his last six starts and walked into Game 6 with a 0.68 postseason ERA.
On Monday he gave the Rays six-plus innings and allowed one run. Cleveland, meanwhile, had to run out a bullpen game with relievers who were pitching for the third straight day. Shawn Armstrong opened, and by the second inning the Rays had broken through when Richie Palacios lined a two-out, two-strike, two-run double into right-center. Jonny DeLuca added a sacrifice fly in the third to make it 3-0.
The Guardians had traffic on the bases nearly every inning. They just could not find the big hit. Chase DeLauter doubled and Nathaniel Lowe singled him home in the sixth to get Cleveland on the board, which ended Peralta’s night, but Cam Booser stranded the tying runs and the Rays pulled away late. Final: Rays 7, Guardians 3. And yes, they did it wearing the Devil Rays throwbacks.
Now Peralta gets to pitch in the World Series against the team that traded him. Yes, those Brewers.
Hold Me to These (About That…)
Back in September I made my bold predictions and told you to hold me to them. Here is the accounting.
- What I got wrong: I picked the Yankees over the Rays in the Division Series. The Rays swept them. I picked the Yankees over the Guardians in the ALCS. The Yankees were home by then. I picked the Yankees to win number 28. That one is officially off the board.
- What I got right: Brewers over Dodgers. I said there would be no three-peat, and Milwaukee did not just beat the two-time champs, they swept them.
In my 2026 preview I called Tampa Bay the Rays club nobody picked. I should have listened to myself.
The World Series at a Glance
| Milwaukee Brewers | Tampa Bay Rays | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular season | 103-59 (best in MLB) | 98-64 (best in AL) |
| Seed | No. 1, NL | No. 1, AL |
| How they got here | Beat Padres 3-1 (NLDS), swept Dodgers 4-0 (NLCS) | Swept Yankees 3-0 (ALDS), beat Guardians 4-2 (ALCS) |
| Last World Series | 1982 | 2020 |
| World Series titles | 0 | 0 |
- Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23 on FOX
- Format: 2-3-2, and the Brewers have home-field advantage with the better record, so Games 1, 2, 6 and 7 are in Milwaukee.
- If it goes seven: Game 7 lands on Halloween.
The Brewers are built for October baseball. They won with run prevention and contact, not the long ball, and they have the likely NL Cy Young winner in Jacob Misiorowski. The Rays are built the same way, with a little more speed and a rotation that has carried them all month. This has the makings of a low-scoring, tightly managed series where one defensive play or one bullpen decision swings everything.
My Pick (Because I Can’t Help Myself)
I have been wrong about the Rays twice this October, so take this with a grain of salt. I am going with the Brewers in six. Home field, Misiorowski starting twice, and a team that has not lost a game since the Division Series. But if Peralta beats his old team in Game 3, I reserve the right to change my mind.
Ready for Friday
For the first time in a long time, the World Series is guaranteed to crown a first-time champion. Milwaukee has waited 44 years to get back. Tampa Bay has come close twice. Either way, a city that has never had a parade for one of these is about to get one. I am ready for Friday.
Featured photo: Tropicana Field, ALWC Game 2, 2023 by Yamasztuka, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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