October has room for one more kind of drama beyond the Dodgers’ pursuit of a third straight championship: three clubs still chasing the first World Series parade in franchise history are in the field. Milwaukee, San Diego and Tampa Bay have all been close before, and each arrives with a different October-sized strength.
Three clubs, three old scars
- Milwaukee’s lone World Series trip came in 1982, when Robin Yount, Paul Molitor and the Brewers—then an American League club—fell to the Cardinals in a seven-game series after getting within one victory of the title. The Brewers also pushed the Dodgers to seven games in the 2018 National League Championship Series before coming up short.
- San Diego reached the Fall Classic in 1984, losing the series in five games to Detroit, then ran into the Yankees in 1998 and was swept. Its best chance to return since then came in 2022, when Philadelphia eliminated the Padres in five games in the NLCS.
- Tampa Bay lost to Philadelphia in five games in the 2008 World Series and dropped a six-game set to the Dodgers during the shortened 2020 season.
Milwaukee brings October arms and timely swings
The Brewers set a franchise record for wins while staying true to the formula that has kept them relevant despite a below-average payroll and limited star power. Their starters carried a 3.64 ERA into Thursday, fifth best in the Majors, while the offense led baseball with an .801 OPS when runners were in scoring position.
Jacob Misiorowski gives Milwaukee a weapon it has lacked in previous postseason runs: a front-line starter who can own a series. The hard-throwing right-hander entered Thursday leading MLB with a 1.86 ERA, a .159 opponents’ batting average and 247 strikeouts, putting him at the front of the NL Cy Young Award race.
Logan Henderson has made the pairing more formidable, posting a 2.47 ERA in his age-24 season. Questions remain after those two, especially with Kyle Harrison’s year taking a downturn, but two starters pitching at that level can shorten a postseason series in a hurry.
San Diego has heat in the bullpen and lineup
The Padres have turned recent fits and starts into their best sustained October run. After postseason appearances in 2020, 2022 and 2024 were separated by disappointing seasons, San Diego has now made the playoffs for a franchise-record third consecutive year.
The late-season push has come from both the bullpen and the lineup. Mason Miller handles the ninth inning with a triple-digit fastball and a sharp slider, giving San Diego a closer capable of ending games quickly. Adrian Morejon has done much of the heavy lifting before him, recording a 2.80 ERA across 83 2/3 innings entering Thursday, while the rest of the relief group has largely held its ground.
That relief depth becomes especially dangerous because the Padres have been swinging the bats well. Their .823 September OPS led the Majors entering Thursday. Fernando Tatis Jr. has been central to that surge: after going homerless over his first 55 games of 2026, he had hit eight home runs this month. If that power travels into October, opponents may find themselves chasing early deficits and facing Miller late.
Tampa Bay leans on its rotation and its sparkplug
The Rays returned to the postseason after missing out for two years, following a stretch in which they reached October every season from 2018 through 2023. Junior Caminero has emerged as an AL MVP candidate and the emotional center of the club, but Tampa Bay’s rotation has set the foundation.
Drew Rasmussen, Nick Martinez, Shane McClanahan and Freddy Peralta have helped the Rays post a 3.53 staff ERA, trailing only the Yankees and Dodgers entering Thursday. McClanahan’s status carries added importance as he nears a return from the injured list after left forearm tightness.
Caminero has supplied the late-game electricity, delivering walk-off hits and bringing an energy that can pull a club along with him. The Rays have long succeeded by making the group larger than its individual names, and that familiar identity is back on the October stage.
The Dodgers remain the club with the recent rings and the chance at history. But the Brewers have a Cy Young-level ace, the Padres have a bullpen built for tight finishes and a lineup running hot, and the Rays have pitching depth plus a young star who seems comfortable when the game is on the line. For one of those three, the first World Series title is still waiting.
