MILWAUKEE – All day Friday, the city of Milwaukee was abuzz in anticipation of a long-awaited appearance in the World Series. Messages on city buses wished the Brewers good luck, the faces of four relievers hung above the downtown public market, and people around the world wore team-colored gear.
Outside American Family Field, the tailgate started early. Once the stadium gates opened, a crowd of 43,250 people rushed to line up to purchase World Series merchandise. Soon the pregame festivities began and franchise icons Robin Yount, Bud Selig and Ryan Braun helped welcome fans to the first World Series game held in this city since 1982.
After all that, it would have been a huge disappointment if the visiting Rays had gone in and won Game 1, but the Brewers rose to the occasion, winning 3-2 thanks to a collective effort from their biggest stars to win Game 1 of the 2026 World Series.
A dramatic replay of a double play that appeared to end the game forced the Brewers to pull one more out, leading to some nervous moments before the home team could finally celebrate.
On a night where no player homered, plenty of contributions were needed from the Brewers, who are now 8-1 in the postseason and haven’t lost in two and a half weeks.
Chourio led off the game with a single and quickly scored on a triple by Yelich, who immediately rewarded manager Pat Murphy for hitting third for the first time since August 3. Contreras then drove in Yelich to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead they would never relinquish.
Later, in the seventh, Chourio brought in Cooper Pratt for an insurance run and that was more than enough offense for a day where the Brewers pitching staff combined to allow just one run on seven hits.
Although Misiorowski didn’t dominate, he still turned on the radar gun and it’s hard to argue with a run in five innings, even though his three strikeout total was relatively modest.
And the late-inning trio of Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill combined for four shutout innings to secure the Brewers’ first World Series victory since 1982, a year they would ultimately lose to the Cardinals. Here in 2026, Milwaukee has a real bullpen advantage and that could prove crucial down the stretch.
Give the Rays credit: They were ready to hit Misiorowski. Yandy Diaz nearly hit one over the right field wall to start the game and Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson followed with singles before Misiorowski escaped. In the fourth inning, Junior Caminero hit a 110 mph ball off the glove of Rays center fielder Johnny DeLuca – the best contact ever against Misiorowski.
But each time, the big right-hander responded. And after 11 days of rest, Misiorowski had enough speed to help him get through the trouble. His first pitch of the game was 103.5 mph, a World Series record. His final throw of the game was 103. Between the two, he sat at 101.1, a half-mile per hour above his regular season average and an absurd speed for any lineup, no matter how prepared.
Meanwhile, the Rays’ decision to use Nick Martinez in Game 1 worked reasonably well. After some early struggles, the 36-year-old veteran settled in and covered five innings while allowing two earned runs.
It’s an outstanding result against the lineup that ranked second in runs scored last season, and since Martinez pitched Game 1, Rays starters Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta will get additional rest before their World Series debuts.
One game into this series, the pressure now turns to Rasmussen and the Rays, who must win on the road Saturday or face a daunting 2-0 deficit once the series moves to Tampa.
Gn sports
