Brewers and Rays set for World Series Game 1 with Jacob Misiorowski and Nick Martinez starting
The Milwaukee Brewers will face the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the 2026 World Series, with Jacob Misiorowski and Nick Martinez slated to start for their respective clubs.
Milwaukee and Tampa Bay will open the 2026 World Series on Tuesday, each team looking for its first championship. The Brewers earned a 103-59 record to win the National League Central, while the Rays captured the American League East by 4.5 games. Both clubs advanced through the postseason, with Milwaukee sweeping the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tampa Bay defeating the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians.
Milwaukee’s veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff, who returned to the roster after recovering from a shoulder injury, will not start the opening game. Instead, Jacob Misiorowski will take the mound; he has started every Brewers Game 1 in the postseason and has helped the team win both of those contests, though his recent outings have shown some fatigue.
“I expressed how I felt about things and kind of where I was, and I was very truthful and very open. It came down to I want one thing, whether I was on the roster or not, and that’s to win. So whatever was decided, I was good with it,” Woodruff said.
“We feel like there’s a window where he can help us. That was the whole decision. This isn’t a wow, we love Woody, he’s great for the organization, because he already said to us, I don’t want to be a sympathy pick. I want to be a pick because I can help the team. Then you go through all the things and say, can he help us? The answer is yes, he can definitely help us,” Pat Murphy said.
For Tampa Bay, right-hander Nick Martinez will start, providing an extra day of rest for aces Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta. Martinez posted a 3.10 ERA during the regular season and limited opponents to two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings against the Yankees in the postseason, followed by a 5 1/3-inning, one-run effort in the ALCS.
Milwaukee’s lineup will open with Jackson Chourio, followed by Jake Bauers, Christian Yelich, William Contreras, Brice Turang, Garrett Mitchell, Cooper Pratt, Sal Frelick and David Hamilton. Tampa Bay will lead off with Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda, with Chandler Simpson batting third and Junior Caminero in the cleanup spot, followed by Liam Hicks, Jonny Deluca, Victor Mesa Jr., Ben Williamson and Taylor Walls.
The two clubs will compete for the 122nd World Series title, with both seeking to secure their first championship.