World Series Game 1: Rays at Brewers, Time, Pitchers and Odds

The World Series opens on Friday, Oct 23, 2026, at American Family Field in Milwaukee. The Tampa Bay Rays play the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1, with first pitch set for 8 p.m. Eastern on FOX and Fox Deportes. Neither club has won a World Series. One of them will end that wait this fall, and the first step comes in a park where the home team has been hard to beat all year.

Milwaukee finished the regular season at 103-59, the best record in baseball. Tampa Bay finished at 98-64, the best record in the American League. Those records explain why this series starts in Milwaukee, and they also set the tone for the matchup. This is not a meeting of surprise teams that backed into October. Both clubs led their leagues, both clubs won their pennants on the road to this game, and both clubs arrive with a clear strength on the mound.

How they got here

Milwaukee reached this stage in strong form. On Oct 15, 2026, Milwaukee completed a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the National League pennant. The Brewers beat the San Diego Padres in the Division Series, then swept the two-time defending champion Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. A sweep of a defending champion says a lot about the form Milwaukee brings into Friday night.

Tampa Bay took a longer road in the American League Championship Series. The Rays swept the New York Yankees in the Division Series, then beat the Cleveland Guardians in six games in the ALCS. On Oct 19, 2026, Tampa Bay beat Cleveland in Game 6 to win the American League pennant. The Rays closed their series four days after Milwaukee closed its series, so the rest picture differs, but Tampa Bay still arrives with its expected Game 1 starter on regular rest.

The expected pitching matchup

Drew Rasmussen is expected to start for Tampa Bay, and Jacob Misiorowski is expected to start for Milwaukee. Both pitchers are listed as expected, not confirmed, in the reports before the game.

Rasmussen went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA in the regular season. In the playoffs he has allowed 3 earned runs in 21 innings, with 23 strikeouts and 3 walks. He starts on regular rest after starting Game 5 of the ALCS. He has also pitched in this park against this lineup this year. On April 1 in Milwaukee, he allowed two runs, one earned, on three hits in five innings.

Misiorowski went 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA in the regular season, and he is the favorite for the National League Cy Young award. His postseason line is shorter and less clean. In two postseason starts he has allowed 3 runs on 9 hits in 8.1 innings, with 11 strikeouts and 4 walks, and he has not yet finished the fifth inning in a postseason start. On April 1 against the Rays, he allowed two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts in six innings.

Those April lines give both teams a recent look, but a World Series opener is a different test. For Milwaukee, the key question is length from Misiorowski. For Tampa Bay, the key question is whether Rasmussen can keep his playoff form in a loud road park.

Home form, road form and the season series

Milwaukee is 59-26 at home including the postseason. That record is a central part of the Game 1 story. The Brewers earned home field, and they have used their park well all year.

Tampa Bay is 46-39 on the road including the postseason. The Rays do not need to win every game in Milwaukee to win this series, but a split in the first two games would change the shape of the series before it moves to St. Petersburg. A loss on Friday would put the pressure on Game 2.

The clubs met three times in the regular season, and Milwaukee won two of the three games. That small sample will not decide Friday, but it does give Milwaukee one more reason for confidence at home.

A first title for one club

Milwaukee has played in the World Series once before. The Brewers reached the series in 1982 and lost in seven games. Tampa Bay has played in the series twice and lost both times, in 2008 and in 2020.

That history shapes the mood in both cities. Fans in Milwaukee have waited since 1982 for another chance. Fans in Tampa Bay have seen two chances end in defeat. This year, one fan base will finally see a title. The other will add one more loss to a short and painful list.

Odds and the long shot story

Milwaukee is the betting favorite for Game 1 at about minus 160 on the money line. Milwaukee is also about minus 160 for the series. The Game 1 total is 6 runs, a low number that fits a matchup between two strong starting pitchers.

Both clubs were preseason long shots. Tampa Bay opened at 80 to 1 and Milwaukee opened at 35 to 1 with DraftKings. Sportsbooks face large payouts whichever team wins, according to FOX 13 Tampa Bay reporting. A 100 dollar preseason bet on the Rays would return an 8,000 dollar profit if Tampa Bay wins the title. That detail explains why bookmakers will watch this series with as much care as the fans.

Full schedule

Every game in the series starts at 8 p.m. Eastern on FOX. Game 2 is Saturday, October 24, in Milwaukee. Game 3 is Monday, October 26, in St. Petersburg. Game 4 is Tuesday, October 27, in St. Petersburg. Game 5, if needed, is Wednesday, October 28, in St. Petersburg. Game 6, if needed, is Friday, October 30, in Milwaukee. Game 7, if needed, is Saturday, October 31, in Milwaukee.

For now, the focus stays on Oct 23, 2026, and Game 1 at American Family Field. Two league winners, two expected starters with 16 wins each, and two clubs with no title meet under the lights in Milwaukee. The first pitch is at 8 p.m. Eastern.