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Some fans may have hoped for a World Series featuring the Cleveland Guardians, largely due to their pitchers with Hawaii ties: starter Joey Cantillo from Kailua and relief ace Cade Smith, who pitched for the University of Hawaii. Others might have rooted for the Los Angeles Dodgers, as Cantillo did growing up, aiming for a third consecutive championship. Instead, the Fall Classic will showcase the two best teams in baseball: the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays, if the 162-game regular season is any indication (though a 154-game schedule is a topic for another day). Both teams have handled playoff pressure with relative ease.
The Brewers and Rays reaching the Series makes a mockery of the "Three True Outcomes" theory—home runs, walks, and strikeouts—as the be-all and end-all. They can beat opponents with power, but also with small ball and defense. They focus on two true outcomes: winning and losing. They understand that launch angle can lead to pop-ups, and while velocity is great, it isn't everything. They are not afraid to steal bases. According to ESPN, the Rays led the majors with 49 bunt hits, and the Brewers were second with 34.
Key Analysis
These teams don't ignore modern analytics, but they aren't slaves to them. The Brewers set a franchise record with 103 wins, and the Rays also finished with a winning percentage above .600. Milwaukee swept the Dodgers in the NLCS, while Tampa Bay defeated Cleveland in six games, coming back after the Guardians won two of the first three. For those seeking a local tie, the Brewers are the most likely choice, though one must turn back the clock quite a bit. The first UH baseball alums to reach the majors did so with Milwaukee: Glenn Braggs in 1986 and Chuck Crim in 1987, a few weeks before Chuck Jackson with the Astros. Joey Meyer joined the Brewers in 1988. Why Milwaukee? Brewers scout Ray Poitevint had a strong working relationship with UH coach Les Murakami. Also, Kalani graduate Lenn Sakata spent his first three of 11 MLB seasons as an infielder with the Brewers starting in 1977. Kolten Wong also played for Milwaukee in 2021 and 2022 after his first eight seasons with the Cardinals. Kolten's brother, Kean, is among several Hawaii players drafted by the Rays. The Waiakea High grad made his big league debut in 2019, playing seven games, and appeared in 33 more with the Los Angeles Angels, mostly in 2021. Brewers manager Pat Murphy was once considered a candidate for UH coach after Murakami's retirement, but he chose to remain at Arizona State.
There is a bit of personal nostalgia for the Rays—actually, the Devil Rays, their official name during their early seasons. I covered them for a few games in the late 1990s while working at the Gainesville Sun. Like most expansion teams, they were bad. They had Wade Boggs, Jose Canseco, and Fred McGriff, but all past their prime. The average age of today's Rays is prime time: 28. The Brewers, too, at 27 and change. Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich won the National League MVP award in 2018, making him the closest thing to a superstar on either team. Tampa Bay first baseman and DH Yandy Diaz might take offense to that, though, as he won the AL batting crown by hitting .330 in 2023. Diaz is so old school that he has so far refused to use the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge system. "Maybe in the World Series, not now," Diaz said in June. No one on either team is close to as well-known as Shohei Ohtani, who finally showed he is human with a falloff in the second half of the season. I enjoyed watching Ohtani make history as a combo hitter and pitcher, but I'm ready for some new blood in the World Series. Want to talk about long-suffering fan bases? Neither the Brewers nor the Rays have ever won a World Series. In four to seven games starting with Friday's Series opener, one city will be planning a victory parade.
Originally reported by staradvertiser.