The Tampa Bay Rays advanced to the World Series for the third time in franchise history, defeating the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on Monday night in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The victory gives the Rays their first pennant since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and sets up a matchup against the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
The Rays jumped to an early lead in Game 6, with Richie Palacios driving in two runs on a double in the second inning and Jonny DeLuca adding another run on a sacrifice fly in the third to give Tampa Bay a 3-0 advantage. When Cleveland narrowed the gap to 3-1 in the sixth inning, Junior Caminero responded with a two-run home run in the seventh that extended the lead to 5-1. The Guardians scored twice in the eighth to cut it to 5-3, but Yandy Diaz sealed the victory with a 416-foot two-run home run in the eighth that made it 7-3. Diaz had guaranteed a Game 6 victory on Sunday through an interpreter, and his home run proved decisive.
Freddy Peralta earned the win, pitching 5 1/3 innings and allowing one run on five hits. Peralta, acquired from the New York Mets before the trade deadline in August, was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player. Closer Bryan Baker finished the game for the Rays. A sold-out crowd of 40,230 fans at Tropicana Field—which underwent major renovations after Hurricane Milton damaged the roof in October 2024—cheered the team to victory with yellow-and-blue rally towels and cowbells.
The Rays reached the World Series after falling behind the Guardians 2-1 in the series. They won Game 4 and Game 5 to even the series before clinching with Monday's victory. This marks the third World Series appearance for the franchise, which previously lost to Philadelphia in five games in 2008 and to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games in 2020. The Rays have built this championship-contending roster using the third-lowest payroll in baseball, reflecting the franchise's cost-conscious approach to player development and acquisition.
The Milwaukee Brewers, who will face the Rays, finished the 2026 regular season with 103 wins and the best record in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay led the American League with 98 wins. The Brewers are making their first World Series appearance since losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in seven games in 1982, when they were known as the Suds Series champions-in-waiting. The Brewers won the NLCS with a four-game sweep of the Dodgers, and Jake Bauers, who hit in that series, was named the NLCS Most Valuable Player.
The 2026 World Series will be the first matchup between two championship-seeking franchises since 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals. At that time, Philadelphia was in its third World Series appearance, while Kansas City was appearing for the first time. With Tampa Bay seeking its first title in three appearances and Milwaukee pursuing its first championship in two appearances, the series guarantees a first-time champion. Both teams built their rosters on modest payrolls—Milwaukee ranked 19th in spending and Tampa Bay 25th—making this the first World Series between both pennant winners in the bottom half of payrolls since 1991, when Minnesota (15th) defeated Atlanta (19th).
The World Series opens Friday night in Milwaukee at 8:08 p.m. ET. Tampa Bay's ballpark features a fixed roof, while Milwaukee's is retractable and will likely be closed given predicted game-time temperatures in the upper 40s and low 50s. Both teams have players with ties to their opponent: Freddy Peralta and Drew Rasmussen previously pitched for the Brewers, and Jake Bauers made his major league debut with the Rays in 2018. Each team features a dynamic 22-year-old: Jackson Chourio of the Brewers and Junior Caminero of the Rays.