No. 1 vs. No. 1: World Series matchups between each league’s top seed
The 2026 World Series will mark the first time since 1980 that two franchises without a championship in their history will meet in October, as the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays face off. Both teams have dominated their respective leagues this season, with the Brewers setting the MLB record pace at 103-59 for the second year in a row, while the Rays led the American League with a 98-64 mark.
For the Rays, this is their third World Series appearance, having previously fallen short in 2008 and 2020, while the Brewers are making their first trip to the Fall Classic since 1982 after sweeping the defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS. The 2024 World Series saw the Dodgers and Yankees clash for the first time since 1981, with Los Angeles winning in five games, including two iconic contests.
Freddie Freeman delivered the first walk-off grand slam in World Series history in Game 1, while the Dodgers rallied from a 5-0 deficit in Game 5, capped by Walker Buehler’s strikeout of Alex Verdugo to secure their eighth title. The 2020 World Series between the Rays and Dodgers was defined by drama, including a wild Game 4 where Brett Phillips and Randy Arozarena combined for a walk-off win, and Game 5’s showdown between Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow, with Mookie Betts adding a pivotal moment in the series.
