Brewers and Rays Crash the World Series Party

The 122nd World Series is officially set, and television executives are probably staring blankly at a wall right now. We are getting the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Game 1 kicks off tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET in Milwaukee, with Joe Davis on the call for Fox. This is a matchup between two thrifty, small-market franchises that have exactly zero combined World Series rings, guaranteeing a first-time champion.

"Jeff Passan noted Joe Davis will be on the call for Fox all week."

The Rays just punched their ticket by bouncing the Cleveland Guardians in six games, capped off by a 7-3 win where Junior Caminero finally remembered he hits baseballs into orbit. Tampa Bay won 98 games this year after sweeping the New York Yankees in the ALDS, all while operating with a $90.5 million payroll that ranked 26th in the majors. For context, there are probably middle relievers in major markets making more than the entire left side of the Rays' infield.

Milwaukee is riding high after taking down the Los Angeles Dodgers, proving that you can actually win playoff games without spending the GDP of a small European nation. Both of these teams are built on pitching, defense, and the kind of fundamental baseball that makes purists weep and casual fans look for the remote.

What makes Tampa Bay's run even more absurd is who isn't pitching. They are doing this without ace Shane McClanahan and Ryan Pepiot, who are both shelved until 2027. If you are looking at the betting lines for Game 1, you are basically trying to handicap which front office's spreadsheet is slightly more accurate.

Tomorrow night, someone takes the first step toward a franchise-first parade. It might not be the blockbuster coastal clash the network wanted, but it is exactly the gritty, small-ball fever dream these two fanbases deserve.