nypost
The National League and American League champions are set, and their identities are surprising: the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays will clash in the World Series. Regardless of the outcome, a team that operates on a modest payroll and relies on strategic thinking will claim its first championship.
Milwaukee has not appeared in the Fall Classic since 1982, while Tampa Bay lost in 2020 and 2008. This matchup, beginning Friday in Wisconsin, will showcase the brains over the brawn of these organizations.
For fans who craved marquee teams like the Yankees and Dodgers, this series may not excite the masses, but it offers a chance to appreciate the game played at its finest.
Key Analysis
This World Series comes at an awkward time for owners, with a lockout looming. The league's billionaires are expected to shutter the sport to argue for a salary cap and better competitive balance. The presence of the Rays (28th-highest payroll) and Brewers (19th) undermines the narrative that big spending is necessary to compete with the Yankees and Dodgers. Had the Dodgers three-peated, the owners' case would have been stronger.
Instead, the Rays and Brewers reached this point by operating differently from big-market behemoths. In a system with a soft salary cap and no floor, money is an advantage, but these teams have found other ways to win.
Both teams play a distinct brand of baseball. The Rays led the majors in singles, with the Brewers second. Tampa Bay excels at putting the ball in play, posting the best strikeout rate and leading in bunts for hits and sacrifices. Milwaukee, while not as contact-driven, uses the opposite field more than any team, finds gaps, takes walks, and advances runners, scoring the second-most runs despite hitting the second-fewest home runs.
On the bases, the Rays have a slight edge in steals (second best vs. fifth best), but the Brewers are the fastest team in MLB according to Statcast's Sprint Speed. Defensively, both are excellent, with the Rays' outfield particularly strong and the Brewers' all-around defense helping pitchers to a .229 batting average on balls in play in the postseason. Pitching-wise, Milwaukee's bullpen has been the best in October, while Tampa Bay's rotation has led the way.
These cohesive teams feature emerging stars. Jacob Misiorowski, a 6-foot-7, 24-year-old with a boyish face and a love of Pokémon, is arguably the hardest-throwing starting pitcher in baseball history. The Mets threw nine pitches of at least 100 mph this season; Misiorowski threw 1,115. Behind him, 22-year-old Jackson Chourio, having a quiet postseason, could become a household name, as could Brice Turang, no longer among the most underrated players.
For the Rays, Junior Caminero announced himself in the ALCS-clinching victory with a shot off the left field foul pole, chest-beating, and a slow trot. The 23-year-old MVP candidate has the talent to become a face of the game—and one the Guardians will regret trading.
Trade payback is another storyline. The Rays will likely turn to Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta in Games 1 and 2 on normal rest. If they shut down the Brewers, Milwaukee will have only itself to blame. Rasmussen, an oft-injured but promising prospect, debuted for the Brewers in 2020 and was traded to the Rays the next year in the Willy Adames swap that looked lopsided until it wasn't. Finally healthy, Rasmussen has a 2.71 ERA in 61 starts over the past two years. Peralta, a walk-year Brewers player dealt to the Mets before free agency, struggled in Queens and was sent to the pitching-fixers in St. Petersburg, who unlocked the ALCS MVP.
Familiar faces abound. For the Brewers, Gary Sánchez and Jake Bauers will be known to Yankees fans, and Trevor Megill is the brother of the Mets' Tylor. For the Rays, there is Peralta plus Steven Matz, short-time Mets Cedric Mullins and Cole Sulser, and former top Yankees prospect Jorge Mateo.
Originally reported by nypost.