The Milwaukee Brewers waited 44 years to host a World Series game. On Friday night, October 23, 2026, they made it worth the wait — barely. The Brewers held off the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 at American Family Field in Game 1 of the World Series, taking a 1-0 lead in a best-of-seven matchup that is already delivering on its promise: two teams chasing the first championship in franchise history, and a finale that came within one replay review of overtime-style heartbreak.
What looked like a routine game-ending double play in the ninth inning instead turned into a reviewed call, a one-run game, and a strikeout with the tying run standing on third base. Closer Trevor Megill punched out Jonny DeLuca with runners on second and third to seal it — his fifth save of the postseason in five chances — and send 43,250 fans home celebrating Milwaukee’s first World Series win since 1982.
How the game was decided
The Brewers struck first and never trailed. In the bottom of the first inning, Jackson Chourio singled on the first pitch he saw from Tampa Bay starter Nick Martinez. Christian Yelich followed by smoking a triple that glanced off the glove of right fielder Jonny DeLuca on a diving catch attempt in right-center, scoring Chourio. William Contreras then lined an RBI single to left, and the Brewers led 2-0 before the sellout crowd had settled in.
That early lead would have to hold up. Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski — whose 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts led the majors during the regular season — worked five gritty innings, allowing one run on four hits. He fanned three, walked one, and threw only 78 pitches. More memorably, he set the tone with a 103.5 mph fastball on the game’s opening pitch, the fastest pitch ever recorded in World Series history.
Behind Misiorowski, the Milwaukee bullpen was nearly flawless. Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby combined for three scoreless innings with five strikeouts, carrying a 2-1 lead into the seventh. Chourio then provided what proved to be the decisive insurance run, singling home a run in the seventh inning off the Rays’ bullpen for a 3-1 cushion.
The ninth inning supplied the drama that will define this game’s retelling. Megill entered to close it out and immediately ran into trouble, giving up consecutive one-out singles to Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson. Pinch runner Jorge Mateo and Simpson then pulled off a double steal, and Junior Caminero walked to load the bases.
Catcher Liam Hicks then bounced a grounder to short — an apparent game-ending double play. Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt took the throw from second baseman Brice Turang, tagged second, and fired to first. The celebration was already starting in the Milwaukee dugout. But the Rays challenged, and after a lengthy review, the call was overturned: replay showed Pratt’s right foot was slightly off the bag when he caught Turang’s throw. Caminero was safe at second. Hicks was retired on the fielder’s choice at first, but Mateo had crossed home plate during the failed double play, making it 3-2 with runners on second and third.
Megill had to lock back in with the tying run 90 feet away. He did, striking out DeLuca swinging to end it and setting off the real celebration — this time with no flags on the play.
The Contreras factor
If one player owned the night, it was William Contreras. The Brewers’ three-time All-Star catcher reached base three times, drove in the game’s second run, and — crucially — threw out two would-be base stealers, cutting down Victor Mesa Jr. and Jonathan Aranda with two perfect throws. He became just the fifth catcher in the past 50 World Series to record multiple hits and catch multiple runners stealing in the same game.
That defensive work flipped one of the Rays’ core strengths into a weakness. Tampa Bay entered the World Series 10-for-10 on stolen base attempts in the postseason. The Rays stayed aggressive — which is their identity — but Contreras punished them for it, and Tampa Bay finished 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
Contreras is now batting .394 (13 for 33) with three home runs and six RBIs this postseason. His nickname in Milwaukee is “Wild Bill,” and on the biggest stage of his career, the nickname fit.
A historic matchup, in more ways than one
This is the first World Series since 1980 — when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals — to feature two teams seeking their first championship. Milwaukee’s only previous World Series appearance ended in a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. The Rays have been here twice, losing to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 and to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.
It is also a matchup of financial underdogs. The Brewers ranked 19th in MLB payroll at $125.9 million on Opening Day; the Rays ranked 25th at $90.5 million. This is the first World Series between two teams from the lower half of baseball’s payroll rankings since 1991, when the Minnesota Twins beat the Atlanta Braves. The matchup arrives amid an escalating labor dispute, with owners pushing for a salary cap and a potential lockout looming after the season.
History offers the Brewers a meaningful edge tonight: the Game 1 winner has gone on to win the World Series 62.8% of the time.
The Rays’ side of the story
Tampa Bay can take genuine encouragement from the near-comeback. The Rays out-hit Milwaukee 7-8, put the tying run on third in the ninth against one of baseball’s most reliable closers, and forced the Brewers to use premium bullpen arms early in the series. Ace Drew Rasmussen was pushed back to Game 2 for an extra day’s rest, meaning the Rays will send their best pitcher to the mound on Saturday with the series still there for the taking.
The Rays also shouldn’t be judged too harshly for running into Contreras’s arm. Their aggressive baserunning has won them games all postseason, and manager’s philosophy is unlikely to change — as the Rays’ manager made clear after the game, Tampa Bay will keep being Tampa Bay.
What comes next
Game 2 is Saturday, October 24, at 8:00 PM ET, again at American Family Field in Milwaukee, before the series shifts to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg for Games 3, 4, and 5 beginning Monday, October 26. All games are broadcast by Fox Sports.
The Brewers swept the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series to get here. The Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians in six games for the American League pennant. One more Milwaukee win tonight, and the Rays return home facing a 2-0 deficit — the deepest hole any team wants to be in come October.
What we know / What we don’t know
What we know
- The Brewers won Game 1 of the World Series 3-2 on Friday, October 23, 2026, at American Family Field in Milwaukee, before 43,250 fans.
- Trevor Megill earned the save (his fifth of the postseason) by striking out Jonny DeLuca with runners on second and third in the ninth.
- The apparent game-ending double play was overturned on replay review because shortstop Cooper Pratt was slightly off the bag at second base.
- Jacob Misiorowski allowed one run over five innings for the win and threw a 103.5 mph fastball, the fastest pitch in World Series history.
- William Contreras had multiple hits and threw out two runners stealing — the fifth catcher in 50 World Series to do both in one game.
- The Brewers lead the series 1-0; Game 1 winners have won the series 62.8% of the time.
What we don’t know
- How Drew Rasmussen will handle the Game 2 start after being pushed back for extra rest — and whether the Rays can even the series before heading home.
- Whether Tampa Bay’s aggressive baserunning will continue to cost them against Contreras, or whether they’ll adjust their running game for Game 2.
- How the series’ pitching plans will hold up given that both teams leaned on high-leverage relievers in the opener.
- Whether either team’s long championship drought — Milwaukee since 1969’s founding, Tampa Bay since 1998 — will finally end.
Sources: Reuters game report (https://www.reuters.com/sports/baseball/brewers-survive-harrowing-9th-edge-rays-world-series-opener–flm-2026-10-24/); NBC Sports (https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/brewers-withstand-rays-comeback-attempt-to-win-3-2-in-game-1-of-world-series); USA Today highlights and analysis (https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2026/10/23/brewers-rays-score-world-series-highlights-stats-game-1–live/92391885007/); USA Today on William Contreras (https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2026/10/23/william-contreras-brewers-world-series-rays-game-1-stats/92409202007/); Sports Illustrated (https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/world-series-game-1-brewers-edge-rays-michael3); Deadspin (https://deadspin.com/brewers-survive-harrowing-9th-to-edge-rays-in-world-series-opener/); USA Today on the full World Series schedule (https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/playoffs/2026/10/19/when-world-series-schedule-brewers-vs-rays/92339372007/).
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