The 2026 World Series is finally here. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays get underway in Game 1 on Friday night at American Family Field in Wisconsin for the opener of the best-of-seven series. By Halloween night, we will have a new champion -- and a first-time champion at that.
The Brewers send ace Jacob Misiorowski to the mound, though he has not had his ace stuff so far in the playoffs. In two starts (Game 1 of the NLDS and Game 1 of the NLCS), he's failed to complete five innings. Will the week off since the Brewers clinched have given the young star time to rest and work through his issues? Milwaukee is relying on it.
The Rays, meanwhile, counter with Nick Martinez, typically their No. 3 starter. The 36-year-old All-Star had an excellent regular season, but manager Kevin Cash said the decision was more about prioritizing rest for their own ace, Drew Rasmussen. Still, Martinez has put up a 3.00 ERA in two starts during the playoffs.
Then there are the young sluggers on both sides: Jackson Chourio and Junior Caminero. Both dominated in the regular season and have had huge moments for their respective clubs so far in the postseason. Never, though, have the lights been brighter.
Time: 8 p.m. ET | Date: Friday, Oct. 23
Location: American Family Field -- Milwaukee
TV channel: Fox | Live stream: fubo
Odds (via DraftKings): MIL -105, TB -115 | over/under: 6.5
Which team will jump out to an early World Series lead? CBS Sports will have live updates, highlights and analysis throughout Game 1. Follow along below.
We sent our Matt Snyder to Milwaukee to talk to the teammates of two of baseball's youngest stars about watching their rise -- and their batting practice.
Ever wanted to play Frankenstein? Frankenstein's creator? Whatever. Our Mike Axisa did just that with the Rays and Brewers lineups to create the ultimate World Series roster.
This is the worst part of the waiting in the ballpark. It feels like everything is ready and we should get going, but instead we're waiting around for almost another hour. GET HERE FASTER.
Mike Axisa breaks down three X-factors that could shape the World Series (or at least have a big impact).
The Rays kept their roster almost entirely intact between the ALCS and the World Series, just swapping out right-handed reliever Brody Hopkins for left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger. The Brewers, on the other hand, made a surprising move when they activated righty Brandon Woodruff, the longest-tenured player in the organization. Woodruff hasn't pitched since July 4 around a shoulder injury and made just nine starts before that. He missed the entire 2024 season and started just 12 times in 2025. Just how effective will he be? Our Mike Axisa has more:
Only three players in this series have previously played in the World Series: Yandy Díaz (2020 with Rays), Dustin May (2020 with Dodgers), and Steven Matz (2015 with Mets). They have eight games of World Series experience combined (five by Díaz, two by May, one by Matz). It is the fewest combined games of World Series experience in the World Series in at least 100 years. One of these teams will win its first ever World Series and almost every player will experience World Series baseball for the first time.
LF Jackson Chourio
1B Jake Bauers
DH Christian Yelich
C William Contreras
2B Brice Turang
CF Garrett Mitchell
SS Cooper Pratt
RF Sal Frelick
3B David Hamilton
SP Jacob Misiorowski
DH Yandy Díaz
1B Jonathan Aranda
LF Chandler Simpson
3B Junior Caminero
C Liam Hicks
CF Jonny DeLuca
RF Victor Mesa Jr.
2B Ben Williamson
SS Taylor Walls
SP Nick Martinez
MILWAUKEE -- Something all Midwestern sports fans know is that here in the American Family Field parking lots, football-level tailgates are held. It's special to this ballpark, whereas most other yards traditionally have a bunch of restaurants and sports bars flanking the ballpark. Or maybe just parking lots or buildings. They tailgate like champions here, though. When I arrived around 3 p.m. ET, the parking lots were probably a third full already and rapidly filling up. Grills had long since been lit. There were multiple instances of fans playing catch with one another (yes, it's play catch and not "have a catch"). There are major vibes all over in the ballpark, too, even though we're two hours from game time.
