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The 2026 World Series is set to begin on Friday, and by the time the best-of-seven series concludes, Major League Baseball will crown a first-time champion. The matchup features the teams with the best regular-season records in their respective leagues: the Tampa Bay Rays from the American League and the Milwaukee Brewers from the National League.
Rays manager Kevin Cash is no stranger to the Fall Classic, having guided Tampa Bay to the World Series in 2020, where they fell to the Los Angeles Dodgers. For Brewers skipper Pat Murphy, however, this marks his World Series debut. He has led Milwaukee to its first World Series appearance since 1982, when the franchise was still a member of the AL East.
Under Murphy, the Brewers racked up 103 wins in 2026, the most in MLB, and swept the Dodgers in the NLCS. Meanwhile, Cash's Rays secured their third AL East title in his 12 years at the helm.
Key Analysis
This World Series guarantees a fresh champion, adding intrigue to the matchup. The Brewers' high win total and dominant NLCS performance suggest they are peaking at the right time, while the Rays' consistency under Cash has been a hallmark of their success. The managerial contrast—Cash's previous World Series experience versus Murphy's debut—adds another layer of drama to the series.
As the action gets underway, fans can test their knowledge of World Series managers since 2000 with a quiz. How many can you name in six minutes? For more quizzes and sports content, consider subscribing to Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day Newsletter.
Originally reported by yardbarker.