Fans watch sports to see something new, marvels we never thought possible. That's guaranteed to happen at the 2026 World Series when the Tampa Bay Rays face off against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Neither team has ever taken home the Commissioner's Trophy, awarded to the MLB champion every year since 1967. The Fall Classic stretches back a little farther, to 1903. The Rays and Brewers, who were established in 1998 and 1969, respectively, have played in just three of baseball's ultimate series between them.
It marks the first time since 1980 that the World Series will pit two teams that had never won the championship. That year, the Philadelphia Phillies took down the Kansas City Royals in six games for the franchise's first title in its 97-year history.
Don't feel too bad for the Royals; they'd win it all a few years later in 1985.
This marks the second consecutive year that fans of the four major American sports will be guaranteed a first-time champ. In the 2025 NBA Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder bested the Indiana Pacers in a seven-game series to win the first title for the team that started as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1967 (the Pacers dropped to 0-2 in the NBA Finals, though they did win the ABA three times).
A guaranteed new champ has happened twice in the past 10 years in the NHL, most recently with the Vegas Golden Knights beating the Florida Panthers in five games in 2023 (Florida would win the next two Stanley Cups). There's been a much longer wait in the NFL: The St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl 34 after the 1999 season, capping a dream season for "The Greatest Show on Turf."
When is the last time the Rays were in the World Series?
Tampa has been to the Fall Classic twice before, most recently in the 2020 COVID season. The Rays finished with the best record in the AL at 40-20 (which would equate to a 108-54 record over a standard season) with Brandon Lowe, Willy Adames and Randy Arozarena leading the offense and Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Ryan Yarborough spearheading the pitching staff. They swept the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 in the wild-card series (installed for the shortened season before it was made permanent in 2022), then went the distance in a five-game ALDS against the New York Yankees and the seven-game ALCS against the Houston Astros.
Played at the newly built Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, the Rays faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, losing in six games. The teams split the first four games with Brett Philips hitting a chaotic walk-off single off Kenley Jensen to win Game 4. The Dodgers won Game 5 wire to wire, then Rays manager Kevin Cash made a still-controversial decision to pull Snell with a one-run lead in the sixth inning after just 73 pitches. Tampa instantly coughed up the lead and went on to lose 3-1.
The other time the Rays made the World Series, they lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. Under manager Joe Maddon with an offense headed by Carlos Peña and Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria, Tampa went from 66-96 the year before to 97-65 to reach the franchise's first postseason. After a 3-1 ALDS win over the Chicago White Sox and a seven-game thriller over the defending champion Boston Red Sox, the Rays split the first two games against the Phillies at Tropicana Field before an hourslong rain delay led to a Game 3 walk-off loss in Philly. Facing elimination in Game 5, Peña tied the game in the top of the sixth before the game was suspended by rain. Two days later, play resumed with Jayson Werth giving the Phils the lead back, then Rocco Baldelli tying it again with a home run only for Pedro Feliz to single home the game- and series-winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
When is the last time the Brewers were in the World Series?
The last time Milwaukee reached the Fall Classic, they were part of the American League. Behind an MVP 1982 season from Robin Yount and with Paul Molitor and Gorman Thomas leading the majors in runs and homers, respectively, the Brewers won their second straight AL East title with a 95-67 record. They dropped the first two games in the ALCS to the California Angels before winning the final three, with Cecil Cooper delivering the deciding runs of a 4-3 win in Game 5 on a bases-loaded single.
In the 1982 World Series, the Brewers faced the St. Louis Cardinals, opening with a statement in a 10-0 win in which Molitor and Yount went a combined 9 for 12 with a run and two RBIs apiece. St. Louis took Games 2 and 3 then got their revenge in Game 6 with a 13-1 demolition to force Game 7. A Molitor single and Cooper sacrifice fly gave Milwaukee the lead in the top of the sixth, but with the bases loaded in the home half, Keith Hernandez and George Hendrick hit back-to-back singles to give the Cardinals the lead they wouldn't relinquish.
Which teams haven't won the World Series?
It might surprise some baseball fans to learn that some of the worst teams this season — the Los Angeles Angels, the San Francisco Giants and the Athletics, for instance — do have World Series titles in their trophy case. There are five teams still searching for their first championship. Only one, the Seattle Mariners, has never even been there. Here's a look at the teams without a title, including when they began play and the times they came closest:
- Tampa Bay Rays (1998): 2020 (lost to LA Dodgers 4-2) and 2008 (lost to Philadelphia 4-1)
- Colorado Rockies (1993): 2007 (lost to Boston 4-0)
- San Diego Padres (1969): 1998 (lost to NY Yankees 4-0) and 1984 (lost to Detroit 4-1)
- Milwaukee Brewers (1969): 1982 (lost to St. Louis 4-3)
- Seattle Mariners (1977): reached ALCS four times in 1995, 2000, 2001 and 2025
Rays vs Brewers World Series schedule
All 2026 World Series games will be broadcast on Fox. Streaming options include Fubo, which offers a free trial for new subscribers.
- Game 1: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 | American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- Game 2: 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 | American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- Game 3: 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26 | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
- Game 4: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27 | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
- Game 5*: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28 | Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
- Game 6*: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30 | American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- Game 7*: 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31 | American Family Field (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
*- if necessary
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Have the Tampa Bay Rays ever won the World Series? MLB gets rare gift
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