Milwaukee has the first win, but there was nothing comfortable about it. The Brewers held off Tampa Bay, 3-2, in a Game 1 that stayed taut through a ninth inning complicated by an overturned out, then needed two more outs to finally close the door. The World Series returns to American Family Field on Saturday night, with the Rays sending former Milwaukee draft pick Drew Rasmussen against Brewers rookie Logan Henderson.
The opener showed the shape of this Series: two similarly built clubs, a few early scoring chances, and very little room to breathe once the bullpens took over. Milwaukee had waited a week after sweeping the Dodgers in the NLCS, yet Christian Yelich said the long break disappeared when the game began.
“Once the game starts, you’re relieved to get back to playing baseball, and everything feels normal and comfortable,” Yelich said. “The guys settled in right away and did a great job. We’ve still got a ways to go, but it’s nice to get that first one.”
Game 2 at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Game | World Series Game 2 |
| Site | American Family Field, Milwaukee |
| First pitch | Saturday, 8 p.m. ET |
| Television | FOX and FOX Deportes |
| Streaming | FOX One; MLB.TV with participating pay-TV authentication in the United States |
| International coverage | MLB.TV live outside the United States, except Canada; Sportsnet carries every postseason game in English in Canada, while TVA Sports covers the AL postseason and World Series in French and RDS carries the NL postseason in French |
How Milwaukee got here
- The Brewers made an early statement in Game 1 when Yelich tripled home the first run in the opening inning.
- Milwaukee built enough of a cushion to take a 3-2 lead into the late innings.
- Tampa Bay made the home club work through a messy ninth, including an out that was reversed on review.
- Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill handled the final four innings, preserving the win despite the late scramble.
The Brewers did not look like a club dulled by its NLCS layoff. Their Game 1 bullpen work was cleaner overall than Tampa Bay’s, even with the final-inning tension. Ashby threw 1 2/3 innings and 20 pitches, while Megill also logged 20 pitches, leaving open the possibility that either could be available again.
Milwaukee has leaned heavily on Ashby, Uribe and Megill this October. That trio has covered 28 1/3 of the club’s 44 2/3 postseason relief innings. Manager Pat Murphy also has left-handed options in DL Hall and JoJo Romero if he prefers to hold Ashby for a later matchup.
History favors the club that takes the opener, though neither dugout will mistake that for a trophy. Teams with a 1-0 edge have won 128 of 199 best-of-seven postseason series, a 64% rate. In the current 2-3-2 setup, home teams winning Game 1 have taken 70 of 104 series, or 67%. If Milwaukee wins again, it would become the 58th club to start a postseason series 2-0; 80.7% of the previous 57 went on to win, including 45 of 55 in seven-game World Series.
Rasmussen returns to the club that drafted him
Rasmussen is Tampa Bay’s answer after Game 1, and he arrives with a sharp October résumé. The right-hander was a sixth-round Brewers selection in 2018, reached the Majors in Milwaukee, then was dealt to the Rays in 2021. He said he would have been cheering for the Brewers had they faced another opponent.
“It’s a really unique, really cool matchup,” Rasmussen said. “I’m excited for this one.”
The Rays gave Rasmussen an extra day before using him, rather than starting him on full rest in Game 1. The move has fit their plan all season. Since the All-Star break, Tampa Bay is 14-1 in his 15 starts, and Rasmussen is 11-0 with a 1.73 ERA, 99 strikeouts and 18 walks over 93 2/3 innings.
He has worked into the seventh inning in all three of his postseason starts. Tampa Bay won two of those outings: Rasmussen quieted the Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS and shut down Cleveland in Game 5 of the ALCS.
Henderson, meanwhile, gives Milwaukee another young arm with poise beyond his experience. The Brewers are 21-4 in his 25 career regular-season and postseason starts, including 2-0 in this postseason and 16-4 in his 20 starts this year.
The Texas native attended one game during each of Houston’s four World Series appearances from 2017 through 2022. Milwaukee drafted him in the fourth round in 2021, but injuries slowed his climb. After recovering from a forearm issue last year, he was left off the Brewers’ NLDS and NLCS rosters.
Henderson went 11-3 with a 2.47 ERA during the 2026 regular season and has started both of Milwaukee’s Game 2 assignments this postseason, following Jacob Misiorowski. Against the Dodgers on Oct. 12, a wild pitch and two errant pickoff throws contributed to a four-run outing, with two runs earned. It was the first time in 25 career starts that Henderson allowed more than three runs.
“There’s definitely value in having thrown a couple of games now,” Henderson said. “Tensions and adrenaline will be higher, but I learned things about myself in the game that can help going forward.”
With Misiorowski and Henderson, Milwaukee is only the third club to start pitchers younger than 25 in each of the first two World Series games. The other teams were the 1972 Reds, with Gary Nolan and Ross Grimsley, and the 1966 Orioles, with Dave McNally and Jim Palmer.
Projected lineups remain intact
Murphy is keeping the same Brewers lineup that opened the Series. Tampa Bay is again using Chandler Simpson in the No. 3 spot, keeping an extra left-handed presence in the group with Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero rather than reshuffling its top three.
Rays lineup
- Yandy Díaz, DH
- Jonathan Aranda, 1B
- Chandler Simpson, LF
- Junior Caminero, 3B
- Liam Hicks, C
- Richie Palacios, 2B
- Jonny DeLuca, CF
- Victor Mesa Jr., RF
- Taylor Walls, SS
Brewers lineup
- Jackson Chourio, LF
- Jake Bauers, 1B
- Christian Yelich, DH
- William Contreras, C
- Brice Turang, 2B
- Garrett Mitchell, CF
- Cooper Pratt, SS
- Sal Frelick, RF
- David Hamilton, 3B
Chourio went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Game 1, bringing him to eight RBIs this postseason and 19 in his postseason career. That extended his record for career postseason RBIs by a player who has not yet turned 23. Chourio and Contreras, who went 2-for-3, became the first Brewers with multiple hits in a World Series game since Paul Molitor in Game 7 in 1982. Contreras owns a team-best 1.184 OPS through Milwaukee’s first nine playoff games.
Aranda gave Tampa Bay a strong debut on the Series stage, going 3-for-3 with a walk. Simpson added two hits and participated in a double steal with pinch-runner Jorge Mateo. Caminero hit one ball at 112.7 mph, drew a walk and looked settled in his at-bats.
The Rays would welcome more from several other bats. Mesa is hitting .147 this postseason, Hicks has a .491 playoff OPS, and DeLuca is batting .176. Ben Williamson is 1-for-11 this October.
Relief picture and roster questions
Tampa Bay is positioned well behind Rasmussen. Nick Martinez lasted five innings in Game 1, and the Rays have Sunday off after Game 2. Steven Matz was the only reliever extended, getting five outs on 31 pitches; Kevin Kelly, Garrett Cleavinger and Cole Sulser each threw no more than 12 pitches.
Closer Bryan Baker is rested for a possible ninth inning. So are left-hander Cam Booser, setup man Tyler Wells, lefty Ian Seymour and reserve starters such as Freddy Peralta and Griffin Jax.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan remains out for the postseason, though he is expected to be ready for spring training.
Milwaukee’s lingering uncertainty is Brandon Woodruff. He was added to the World Series roster but did not appear in Game 1, and any outing would be his first since July 4. Woodruff spent Friday speaking with Ashby as he adjusted to his first bullpen role since 2018. The questions are straightforward: whether he can stay healthy and how effective he can be after the long absence.
A familiar kind of pressure for Tampa Bay
The Rays are 0-3 in World Series openers, but they are unbeaten in Game 2. They defeated Philadelphia, 4-2, in 2008 and beat the Dodgers, 6-4, in 2020. Walls said the opener offered the kind of edge Tampa Bay expects for the rest of the Series.
“Hopefully every game is like that, but we end up on the other side,” Walls said. “That was a blast. The atmosphere was great. You have to lock in and focus on every pitch, and it’s fun competing that way.”
Game 1 also made a little World Series history in a quieter way: neither club homered. It was the first homerless opener since the Mets and Yankees played in 2000, and only the second such Game 1 since 1987.
Simpson’s placement in the third spot was another rarity. He entered with no career home runs in either the regular season or postseason, becoming the fourth player in that category to start a World Series game batting third. Ted Cather did it for the 1914 Boston Braves, while Chick Shorten did so twice for the 1916 Red Sox.
Milwaukee has the early Series advantage. Tampa Bay has its hottest starter on the mound. That is usually enough to make a Saturday night at American Family Field feel like it starts in the first inning and does not let up until the last out is secure.
