Jacob Misiorowski will start Game 1 of the World Series for the Milwaukee Brewers, giving the club a young arm to open its first championship series since 1982.
Nick Martinez will start for the Tampa Bay Rays in the opener, setting up a matchup between two teams that reached the World Series through very different postseason paths. The Brewers entered at 103-59 and won the NL Central before beating the Padres in the NLDS and sweeping the Dodgers in the NLCS. The Rays won the AL East, swept the Yankees in the LDS and then beat the Guardians in six games in the LCS.
A return more than four decades in the making
For Milwaukee, the opener carries obvious significance. The Brewers are in the World Series for the first time in 44 years, and both clubs are still chasing their first championship. That alone makes Game 1 a notable moment, but the pitching decision also says something about where the Brewers are right now.
Misiorowski gets the ball ahead of a group that also includes Freddy Peralta and Brandon Woodruff. Woodruff’s return gave Milwaukee another veteran option after a long injury absence, and Pat Murphy made clear the decision was about fit rather than sentiment.
“We feel like there’s a window where he can help us. That was the whole decision,” Murphy said. “This isn’t a wow, we love Woody, he’s great for the organization, because he already said to us, I don’t want to be a sympathy pick. I want to be a pick because I can help the team. Then you go through all the things and say, can he help us? The answer is yes, he can definitely help us.”
Woodruff returns, but Misiorowski gets the opening nod
Woodruff last pitched in a game on July 4 before the World Series roster move, and he explained the process in practical terms. “I expressed how I felt about things and kind of where I was, and I was very truthful and very open,” Woodruff said. “It came down to I want one thing, whether I was on the roster or not, and that’s to win. So whatever was decided, I was good with it.”
That is the larger Brewers story entering the series: a roster built to win now, with a mix of young talent and established arms. Misiorowski now gets the spotlight in Game 1, while Martinez does the same for the Rays after a run that included wins over division, LDS and LCS opponents.
For both teams, the stakes are simple. The World Series opener is the first step toward a title neither franchise has ever won. For Milwaukee, it also marks the beginning of its latest chance to turn a 44-year wait into something much bigger.
