The Rays will hand the World Series opener to veteran right-hander Nick Martinez on Friday night, choosing rotation flexibility over sending Drew Rasmussen out first against the Brewers at American Family Field.
Martinez, 36, is set to face Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1, scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One. The decision gives Rasmussen another day before his expected Game 2 assignment, lining him up with five days between starts.
It is a notable assignment for Martinez, who will become only the third Tampa Bay pitcher to start a World Series Game 1. Scott Kazmir opened the 2008 Series for the club, while Tyler Glasnow took the ball in 2020.
Martinez brings a strong road record
Tampa Bay has gone 24-9 when Martinez has started this season, a record built on the steady work that earned him the first All-Star selection of his Major League career. The right-hander, whose big league career began in 2014, posted a 3.10 ERA across 180 innings in 31 regular-season starts.
His October work has followed the same script. Martinez allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks over nine innings in two postseason starts, facing the Yankees in ALDS Game 3 and the Guardians in ALCS Game 4.
American Family Field should not be an uncomfortable stage for him. Martinez was sharper away from Tropicana Field during the regular season, compiling a 2.38 ERA over 16 road starts compared with a 3.90 ERA at home. Both of his playoff starts also came on the road.
Milwaukee has already seen him in a Rays uniform. After a difficult Spring Training, Martinez made his Tampa Bay debut at American Family Field on March 30 and worked six innings while allowing two runs in a 3-2 Rays victory. It was Tampa Bay’s only win of that three-game series.
Rasmussen and Peralta wait in the wings
Rasmussen’s move to Game 2 is more about preserving routine than changing plans. Twenty-three of his regular-season starts came with more than four days of rest, and all three of his postseason appearances have arrived with that spacing. A postponement before Game 4 in Cleveland helped maintain that schedule during the ALCS.
Former Brewer Freddy Peralta is positioned to start Game 3 on Monday at Tropicana Field, where his work since arriving at the Trade Deadline has been especially impressive. In seven starts under the roof, Peralta owns a 1.45 ERA.
Peralta’s stuff would figure to translate indoors in Milwaukee as well, but the Rays will first ask Martinez to set the tone in a hostile ballpark. For a club that finished the ALCS in six games and gained enough room to arrange its rotation, the Game 1 choice is a vote of confidence in a veteran who has delivered all season.
