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Rays vs. Brewers: Revisiting each game of the season series
Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras (24) watches his two-run home run off of Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nick Martinez (28) during the sixth inning at American Family Field. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Rays vs. Brewers: Revisiting each game of the season series

By Andrew Wright  |  Last updated Oct 22, 2026 4:41 PM ET
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It's hard to imagine that when the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers played their regular-season series in March that either side thought they'd see each other again in the final series of the entire 2026 MLB season.

That's exactly what's happened, though, as the two teams are set to face off in the World Series, meaning there will be a guaranteed first-time champion.

While it was nearly seven months ago, let's dive into all three games of the Brewers' series victory over the Rays from earlier this season.

Timely hitting, dominant pitching led to Game 1 win for Rays

Tampa Bay emerged with a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the season series, led by a strong outing from Nick Martinez (6IP, 2R, 3K) and a go-ahead ninth-inning RBI double from Nick Fortes. 

The other two runs in the game for the Rays came on solo home runs from Yandy Diaz and Johnny DeLuca. Tampa Bay's bullpen shut down the Milwaukee lineup, going three shutout innings without allowing a hit and striking out four.

The lone offense for Milwaukee came in the form of a two-run home run from William Contreras. Both Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill allowed runs on the mound, something that didn't happen often during the season.

Late comeback, excellent pitching lift Milwaukee to Game 2 win

Tampa Bay jumped out to a 2-0 lead in Game 2 of the series before a costly error by centerfielder Cedric Mullins gave the Brewers a lead that they never relinquished.

Milwaukee got late-game home runs from Gary Sanchez and future NLCS MVP Jake Bauers to extend its lead before the bullpen closed things down with four shutout innings.

Fortes and Jonathan Aranda each blasted solo home runs for the Rays. All of the Tampa Bay pitching in the game struggled, allowing seven hits and five walks compared to just six total strikeouts.

Six-run eighth inning gives Milwaukee series win

The final game of the regular-season series was a tough, hard-fought game for the first 7 1/2 innings. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Milwaukee decided to stop playing around and rattled off six runs to cruise to an 8-2 win.

Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Blake Perkins and David Hamilton were all responsible for driving in runs in that inning. Brice Turang provided the prior offense with a two-run home run off Tampa Bay ace Drew Rasmussen, who allowed just one earned run in five innings.

Milwaukee's ace Jacob Misiorowski started the rubber-match and had a strong start, going six innings, allowing two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts. Following their ace, the Brewers bullpen posted three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and striking out four.

Who has the edge in the World Series?

Milwaukee was the best team in baseball for the entire season, while Tampa Bay was the best team in the American League for a good majority of the season. 

Both teams are going to be well-rested and able to line up their pitching plans exactly how they want. The series is ultimately going to come down to bullpen success, and the Brewers have a slight edge in that department.

Because of that, Milwaukee would have to be considered the favorite to win its first World Series championship in franchise history.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan. 

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