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It’s been a wild 2026 ride to the Fall Classic. Cubs fans were treated to the first 40-40 season in franchise history. They were also treated to one of the biggest rollercoaster rides in the 150-year history of the team as the Cubs won 10 games in a row twice while also losing 10 games in a row. Ultimately, that inconsistency hit the Cubs at the wrong time as they were swept out of the Wild Card round by the Padres. As some astute commenters noted during the Championship Series previews, there really aren’t a lot of guys on either the Brewers or Rays rosters who have experience on the North Side of Chicago. It’s basically Trevor Megill and a whole lot of guys we’ve never seen in the Cubs system. With that in mind let’s take a closer look at the small market matchup set to begin in Milwaukee tonight.

Brewers vs. Rays: One ring to rule them all

For the first time since 1980 the World Series features two teams who have never won a ring. That means regardless of whether fortune favors the Brewers or the Rays some fanbase is going to experience the ecstasy of a championship for the first time. It’s understandable that a lot of Cubs fans have a soft spot for the Rays in this matchup given our collective frustration at finishing second to the Brewers year, after year, after year, after year:

Rays Up pic.twitter.com/NbKi5SFQMl

— OBVIOUS SHIRTS® (@obvious_shirts) October 21, 2026

Look, I’m sure I’ll find some reason to roll my eyes and cheer against the Brewers by the time this World Series is over, but right now I’m just excited for great baseball. If great baseball determines that the Brewers finally win a World Series, I think I’m okay with it. Jake Bauers considering retirement but returning to baseball for the healthcare coverage only to do this is great stuff, regardless of your primary team allegiances [VIDEO].

And don’t get me wrong, there should be some great baseball. As I discussed yesterday in looking at the small market nature of the 2026 World Series, these two teams are perennial success stories in MLB. The Brewers have eight Postseason appearances in the last decade and the Rays have six, these are two of the more successful teams in baseball who are only missing a championship ring.

On the pitching side the Brewers have likely NL Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1 facing off against the Rays Nick Martinez. In Game 2 the Brewers will send Logan Henderson to the mound against Rays ace Drew Rasmussen. While Game 3 starters have yet to be named, it seems likely that would be former Brewer, and ALCS MVP, Freddy Peralta for the Rays and Robert Gasser for the Brewers. Peralta has been excellent this postseason [VIDEO]:

And then it’s a question of bullpens. Both teams have solid bullpens with a clear eye towards who their high leverage guys are in a pinch. That means the Brewers should expect to see a lot of Bryan Baker, Kevin Kelly, Tyler Wells, Cam Booser, and Ian Seymour, while the Rays will likely see Megill, JoJo Romero, Dustin May, DL Hall, Aaron Ashby and Abner Uribe. One wildcard to keep an eye on is the addition of Brewers starter Brandon Woodruff to the World Series Roster:

Brandon Woodruff is on the Brewers World Series roster! He's been sidelined since July 4 with right shoulder inflammation. pic.twitter.com/betTyjgy8b

— MLB (@MLB) October 23, 2026

On the hitting side of the equation, the hottest bats in the Brewers lineup during the League Championship Series against the Dodgers were MVP Bauers and second baseman Brice Turang, catcher William Contreras and outfielder Garrett Mitchell [VIDEO].

The Rays bats were a bit quieter during their series against the Guardians, but look for slugger Junior Caminero to show up on baseball’s biggest stage with his speedy sidekick, Chandler Simpson who hits for average and runs like Pete Crow-Armstrong. I’m personally looking to see how Yandy Díaz performs. Yandy is one of the most underrated hitters in baseball this side of Seiya Suzuki and he’s a big reason the Rays will be in the World Series [VIDEO].

With both teams looking for their first franchise championship, tickets to games in Milwaukee and Tampa Bay are going for prices not seen since the Cubs and Cleveland faced off in 2016. It does not seem like those prices are coming down as game time approaches. The cheapest tickets to get into American Family Field for Game 1 are hovering around $2,900 for an obstructed view seat:

GD 👀

World Series ticket prices are outta control pic.twitter.com/KRcWV8VTSg

— Ty Virden (@TieVirden) October 23, 2026

Whether fans can afford to join the action in person, watch with friends at their favorite neighborhood tavern or follow from the comfort of their couch, the vibes around a team’s first World Series win are priceless. Who are you cheering for as action kicks off in Milwaukee tonight?

Freddie Freeman, Tommy Edman, Mookie Betts and Max Muncy in the infield.

Will Smith at catcher.

Kyle Tucker, Andy Pages and Teoscar Hernández in the outfield. 

Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter.

Meet the probable 2027 Dodgers – the same team as the 2026 Dodgers.

Just older.

And probably without Tarik Skubal in the starting rotation.

The Dodgers know they have an aging roster. They know they have to incorporate younger players into their lineup before too many of their cornerstones become too old to remain competitive.

The problem is clear. The answer isn’t as obvious.

The team is too good to blow up, but also too old to keep together and expect next season to end any differently than this one.

The Dodgers were the oldest team in baseball this year, and they could be even older next year. Depending on when next season starts – owners are expected to lock out the players on Dec. 1 and the work stoppage could extend into the season – the Dodgers could field an opening-day lineup in which every one of their players outside of Tucker and Pages are 32 or older.

Freeman will be 37, Muncy 36, Betts and Hernández 34.

So much for a youth movement.

On the surface, this might seem like an easily-solvable equation.

The Dodgers’ farm system has a number of high-level prospects, headed by 21-year–old outfielder Josue De Paula, who was called up to the major leagues in September and made the playoff roster as a pinch hitter.

In practice, the situation is more complicated.

The Dodgers could address their long-term concerns by replacing their aging players with prospects, but they can’t do that without compromising their short-term goal of returning to the World Series.

“We’ve talked about the challenge of a team with our expectations, of how to phase in young players,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “It’s really difficult because you can’t phase in three guys (and) expect them to hit the ground running.”

There are no guarantees with prospects.

As talented as De Paula is as a hitter, what if the Dodgers open a place for him in their outfield by Hernández only to learn his defensive shortcomings outweigh his offensive production?

Eduardo Quintero, Mike Sirota and James Tibbs III have shown great promise in the minor leagues, but that doesn’t always translate to success in the major leagues. Who remembers Gavin Lux?

Then again, if the Dodgers wait too long to offer these players chances to break into the team, they could find themselves a couple of years with more rookies in their lineup than they would like. The contracts of Freeman, Muncy, Hernández and Tyler Glasnow aren’t guaranteed beyond the upcoming season.

While the Dodgers season ended with them being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, they were still the second-best team in the major leagues.

They won’t revamp their roster for the sake of revamping it.

“If we started the season tomorrow,” Friedman said, “we feel really good about the roster and team that we have.”

The last major overhaul of the Dodgers transformed them from a team built around Corey Seager, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger to one with Ohtani, Freeman and Betts as their centerpieces. The process didn’t happen overnight.

Before the 2020 season, the Boston Red Sox were looking to move Betts, who was in his walk year. The Dodgers pounced, picking up Betts in a bargain and signing him to a 12-year extension.

Following the 2021 season, the Dodgers lost Seager, who signed with the Texas Rangers as a free agent. They found a left-handed-hitting replacement for him in Freeman, who was out of contract with the Atlanta Braves.

The next winter was marked by the departures of Turner and Bellinger. Ohtani signed with the Dodgers a year later.

The upcoming transition won’t be as seamless, particularly with the free-agent market being barren of elite hitters.

The Dodgers don’t have as much financial flexibility as they had back then, as they now have a number of long-term contracts on their books. Anticipated changes in the collective-bargaining agreement can lead to greater restrictions on how much they can spend on players.

Their best way out of this predicament would be to trade for players in the primes of their careers – say, Elly De La Cruz of Cincinnati Reds, or CJ Abrams or James Wood of the Washington Nationals. Players like that would inject youth into the lineup but wouldn’t require on-the-job training.

Of course, the cost for a player such as De La Cruz or Abrams would be prohibitive. Whether their teams would even be open to trading them will almost certainly depend on the details on the next labor agreement.

The Dodgers won’t really know what they’re dealing with until the next CBA is ratified. Their roster makeover will have to wait until then. 

They can do so with the knowledge they still have one of the better teams in baseball – but also with the fear of that not being enough to satisfy their demanding fan base.

Everything in the world is different than it was in 2016 — sometimes I am paid to say the obvious. Ten years ago we saw multiple curses end, billy goats and black cats forever exorcised, as Kris Bryant threw to Anthony Rizzo and the Cubs had finally won it all. Bryant was the MVP of the National League that year, a seven and a half win season in his sophomore campaign. Anthony Rizzo was just 26 and finished fourth in that MVP race, Addison Russell was 22 manning shortstop and he also received votes for the league’s top individual honor.

That Cubs team is known for their collection of home grown bats, but the pitching staff was talented in its own right, albeit a little more mercenary. Jake Arrieta wasn’t quite the Cy Young winner he was the year before but the Cubs had four three-win starters in their rotation, and while Kyle Hendricks was the only one under the age of 30, the combination of a very good rotation, elite homegrown (read: cheap) position players, and a big market with the capacity to spend…surely the North Side would see more than one pennant from that group.

And well.

Ten years on the Cubs did make the playoffs five times, with two division titles, but that’s mostly it. Anthony Rizzo’s career effectively ended when Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s hip slammed into his head, Kris Bryant has become one of the great baseball tragedies of our era, and Russell abused his wife and is playing in the Mexican League. The Cubs are a playoff team again, and flags fly forever — especially ones tied to 108 year old poles — but you kind of have to think that proto-dynasty left something on the table.

A year later, the Yankees themselves seemed on the edge of a dynasty. Aaron Judge should have been MVP, Luis Severino was one of the three best pitchers in the AL, Greg Bird wasn’t just locking down first base, he was creating playoff memories, and Gary Sánchez seemed to be a foundational piece of a winning team for a decade to come. That decade’s nearly come and gone, Aaron Judge has lived up to that potential, but as for the rest of what seemed like an ascendant group…let’s put it this way, Sánchez might well win a World Series before Judge does.

The Yankees haven’t had a losing season in my lifetime. The seasons when they do miss the playoffs stand out like scars, for the entire time I’ve been aware of the concept of baseball, the team’s pretty much been in the so-called window of contention. They could have won the World Series this year, they could have last year, could have the year before, and on and on.

The Red Sox got their ring, like the Cubs, before doing the unthinkable and dealing away one of the best players in franchise history over money. They’ve remained a playoff team, even knocking the Yankees out of the postseason in the so-called Baby Bombers era.

The World Series starts tonight, with two teams built on the cheap, that came out of their respective leagues as the top seeds. The Brewers have been in the so-called championship window for two seasons now, the Rays seem to enter and swiftly exist theirs nearly year to year. The Cubs and Red Sox had to learn sometimes you only get one, no matter how sustainable things look. The Yankees haven’t even gotten one, and stare down an uncertain 2027 with an aging roster.

The window’s never as open as you think it is. Gotta climb through now.

Every season has a couple of different high-water marks. The first is obvious and mathematical; and for the 2026 Red Sox, it came on September 7th after a win against the Angels. That victory pushed the team a season high 15 games over .500, and to an 80-65 record.

But a more indelible high-water mark came about five weeks earlier near the end of the team’s astounding 32-5 midsummer heater. Here, the Red Sox had just swept the Dodgers, moved to within five games of the division and American League leading Rays, had the trade deadline to improve even more in the next 24 hours, and were surrounded by delightful rumors suggesting that both Roman Anthony and Garrett Crochet might return for a stretch run healthier than they actually did.

For me, this is somewhere around the moment where my “I think the Red Sox can win the World Series” meter peaked in my head. (The only other competition was after Opening Day before everything went haywire.)

It’s not just that the Sox swept the mighty Dodgers, it’s all the other tidbits surrounding it. The LA sweep came at the end of the second west coast road trip in a month, where they went a combined 15-1. Furthermore, they had now swept the Dodgers, Yankees, Rays and White Sox in the last five weeks, all of which were in first place when the sweeps started. This meant the Sox were now 13-0 since June 25th against a lineup of teams they were likely to see on their path to a championship.

Within these games, things were even crazier. Ceddanne Rafaela launched four home runs over the weekend in the Hollywood spotlight, and bumped his OPS over .800 as the calendar flipped to August.

If he could do this now, what might the Sox lineup look in a few weeks if they traded for Adley Rutschman (rumors were swirling), got Roman Anthony back, and got Willson Contreras healthier? Surely they wouldn’t be the worst offense in baseball in the month of September, right? ….. RIGHT?!?

Speaking of Contreras, he didn’t have a hit in this series against the Dodgers. Instead, he was hit in head early in Game 1, which caused him to leave and miss Game 2, and then when he returned for Game 3 before an off day (probably against everybody’s better judgement), he went 0-5 with two strikeouts despite the four guys surrounding him in the lineup reaching base a combined ten times. The point is that while Contreras was the team’s best hitter all year, they essentially put up 20 runs in three games against the Dodgers without him.

And while it was obvious they certainly didn’t run into the true teeth of the Dodger rotation for most of this series, they did beat Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the middle game, who despite going eight innings, only stuck out three Red Sox all night.

The winning pitchers in this Dodger series were Brayan Bello, Justin Slaten, and Jake Bennett, and five different players had at least one RBI in both the first and last game, which is all a great window into how everything the Sox touched was turning into gold at this stage of the season. The future was unknown, and ultimately, that’s what made the peak of the summer so magical.

We didn’t know Ceddanne Rafaela was going to cool off to the tune of a .520 OPS after August 17th. We didn’t know Adley Rutschman was going to post an OPS under .700 after joining the Sox the following day. We didn’t know the Roman Anthony we were about to get back was a guy who had only improved enough to play hurt down the stretch. We didn’t know Garrett Crochet wouldn’t pitch again in the regular season. And we didn’t know just how fleeting the magic of the summer would be once the team took its foot off the gas in late August.

Instead, in this moment, in a place made for dreams, a World Series run seemed as close as ever. Unfortunately, as the team prepared to go home and turned east towards the California desert in the direction of Fenway Park, those dreams turned out to be nothing more than a mirage.

The World Series begins tonight with the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays each looking for their first championship. The Rays have gotten close with two pennants before – they fell to the Phillies in five games in 2008 and in six games to the Dodgers in 2020. Because of their roster churn, the only player from that pennant-winning club six year ago that is still on the team is Yandy Díaz.

The Brewers have only gotten this far once before, way back in 1982 when the mustachioed Rollie Fingers was closing games for ‘Harvey’s Wallbangers.” They were a group of boppers that smashed 216 home runs (a lot in the dead ball 80s!) and featured two future Hall of Famers in the lineup – Robin Yount and Paul Molitor.

The matchup of small market clubs may not be what TV executives are looking for, but no one should have any sympathy for TV executives! Besides, MLB and its TV partners will be fine. Although World Series TV ratings have been slipping for years as people have more options (including distractions on their phones), it is still one of the most-watched events on TV.

Here are four reasons why Royals fans should tune in to this year’s World Series.

Small market solidarity

The Rays play in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, a mid-sized market, but their antiquated stadium in a poor location has depressed attendance. The Brewers play in Milwaukee, the smallest market in Major League Baseball. The two teams ranked among the bottom ten in player payroll, each spending less than what the Royals did on talent this season.

Their success story may undermine the argument put forth by owners that baseball needs a salary cap to increase competitiveness, although on the other hand *hand waves at all the Dodgers dominance the last few years*. But it is fun to root for the underdogs, the teams that don’t have the lavish resources the coastal clubs enjoy. The Rays and Brewers got here through smart player development, shrewd trades, good coaching, and players making the most of their opportunities. Royals fans can be forgiven for being a bit jealous.

Local connections and old friends

The Brewers feature two Kansas City kids on their pitching staff. Jacob Misiorowski graduated from Grain Valley High School, and later Crowder College in nearby Neosho, before the Brewers selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft. He now features the most electric fastball in baseball that allowed him to post a 1.80 ERA that was the lowest in baseball, and he is the odds-on favorite to win the Cy Young.

Jacob Misiorowski started the game with 21 consecutive fastballs. ⛽️

17 for strikes. pic.twitter.com/Lxmtq6n4HF

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 10, 2026

Aaron Ashby went to Park Hill High School in Kansas City before attending Crowder. His uncle Andy was also a Park Hill and Crowder grad that spent 14 years pitching in the big leagues. Aaron led the Brewers in games pitched with 75 and is one of the most valuable relievers in baseball as a groundball pitcher who gets a 50 percent whiff rate on his breaking balls.

The Rays have lefty reliever Garrett Cleavinger, who pitched for Lawrence High School as a “Chesty Lion” before going to Oregon. Cleavinger made 60+ relief appearances in the last two seasons before regressing this year with some injuries. Cleavinger did not make an appearance in the ALDS, and was left off the ALCS roster, but is back on the World Series roster.

Neither World Series roster includes any former Royals, but a few old friends made appearances with each team. The Brewers had pitcher Angel Zerpa, who missed most of the season with an injury, and outfielder Blake Perkins, who once played in the Royals’ farm system. The Rays had pitchers Jonathan Heasley and Aaron Brooks – who was on the Royals pennant-winning teams in 2014 and 2015. Royals reliever Craig Kimbrel also pitched briefly for the Rays this year.

Small ball is back, baby

The Brewers finished second in all of baseball in runs scored, while the Rays finished twelfth. But neither has taken the “grip it and rip it” approach that has dominated much of the game. Each team hit fewer home runs than the Royals. Instead, they tied for tops in baseball in batting average. They are both in the top five in on-base percentag. They are both top five in hitting the ball on the ground, and they are the top two teams in hitting the ball to the opposite field. Milwaukee is the best team in baseball at drawing walks. Tampa Bay is the best team in baseball at not striking out.

They also like to run on the bases – both teams are top five in baseball in stolen bases. A total of 12 players on both teams stole ten bases or more this year. They were also the top two teams in most sacrifice hit attempts and two of the most successful teams in productive outs. They find ways to score runs, which can be a huge plus when you’re facing dominant pitching staffs in the postseason.

This success has been interpreted by some as a refutation of analytics. However, these are actually two of the most analytical teams in the game!

Three teams left, and all three have bigger-than-average analytics staffs.

Brewers: 46 (2nd in MLB)
Rays: 39
Guardians: 30
League average: 28.5

The Phillies have the biggest staff in baseball, and they're already home. Like payroll, it's one input. Everything else combined… pic.twitter.com/EbV5BXkpnr

— Zack Scott (@ZackScottSports) October 18, 2026

They are also two teams that invest in scouting more than most teams in baseball. And that just shows smart teams use all information to make their decisions. And if the data says zig where other teams have zagged, that’s what these teams do, with great success.

A battle of the best teams

The World Series just hits differently when it is the actual top two teams that make it through the postseason gauntlet. The Brewers won 103 games, most in club history. The Rays won 98 games, five more than any other American League team. In the Wild Card era, this is just the sixth time the teams with the top record in each league have met in the World Series.

• 1995 Braves (90-54) over Indians (100-44)
• 1999 – Yankees (98-64) over Braves (103-59)
• 2013 – Red Sox (97-65) over Cardinals (97-65)
• 2020 – Dodgers (43-17) over Rays (40-20)
• 2024 – Dodgers (98-64) over Yankees (94-68)

And their records are no accident. These are balanced, deep teams built for a championship run.

The Brewers have been one of the biggest spenders in the Latin American free agent market, and it has paid off with star hitter Jackson Chourio. Chourio hit a walk-off single in the NLDS against the Padres and led off Game 3 against the Dodgers with a home run. He is a power/speed threat, becoming the first player in Major League history to achieve three 20-homer, 20-steal seasons before turning 23 years old. William Contreras, who was acquired in shrewd three-way trade from the Braves in 2022, has a patient eye and has been a steady presence at the plate. First baseman Jake Bauers has had a late career renaissance after trying to retire two years ago, smacking 26 home runs this year and helping the Brewers to lead the league in offensive production at first base.

Misiorowski paces the pitching staff, but the Brewers have relied heavily on their bullpen in the postseason. Brewers relievers had the second-lowest ERA in baseball at 3.51 with the highest strikeout rate in baseball. Milwaukee also gets some help for this series with the return of veteran pitcher Brandon Woodruff, who has been out since early July with a shoulder injury.

The #WorldSeries Crew ❕#WinOurWay x @AmFampic.twitter.com/Oya31RmdZb

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) October 23, 2026

The Rays are led by MVP candidate Junior Caminero, who has one of the highest hard-hit rates in baseball. His 42 home runs were tied for the fourth-most in the game. The Rays also get pop from Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda, each of whom hit 20 home runs this year. Chandler Simpson provides the speed, leading all of baseball in steals (46) and infield hits (42).

Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen, a former Brewers pitcher, has been one of the top arms in the American League this year, leading the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Nick Martinez won 15 games and has the lowest walk rate among qualified pitchers. Closer Bryan Baker has been lights out with 41 saves, tied for the most in baseball.

RAYS ROSTER ⚾ The Tampa Bay Rays announced who will be playing in the World Series. Here's a look at the roster! https://t.co/ZfYdNCqQA9pic.twitter.com/0HDJO2PRXU

— WFLA NEWS (@WFLA) October 23, 2026

All World Series games will air on FOX. Here is the schedule:

• Game 1 at Milwaukee: Friday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m. CT
• Game 2 at Milwaukee: Saturday, Oct. 24, 7 p.m. CT
• Game 3 at Tampa Bay: Monday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. CT
• Game 4 at Tampa Bay: Tuesday, Oct. 27, 7 p.m. CT
• Game 5 at Tampa Bay (if necessary): Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. CT
• Game 6 at Milwaukee (if necessary): Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. CT
• Game 7 at Milwaukee (if necessary): Saturday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m. CT

Will you tune in? Who are you rooting for? Who do you think will win?

Welcome to the 2026 edition of Ranking the Rockies, where we take a look back at every player to log playing time for the Rockies in 2026. The purpose of this list is to provide a snapshot of the player in context. The “Ranking” is an organizing principle that’s drawn from Baseball Reference’s WAR (rWAR). It’s not something the staff debated. We’ll begin with the player with the lowest rWAR and end up with the player with the highest.

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No. 36, John Brebbia (-0.1 rWAR)

Veteran reliever John Brebbia had a strange and winding journey in 2026.

The 36 year old had spent parts of the previous eight seasons in the Major Leagues after having been a Rule 5 Draftee for the St. Louis Cardinals. For the first six seasons of his career, Brebbia was a quality arm out of the pen for the Cardinals and San Francisco Giants.

In 2024, the wheels started to fall off.

Over the course of two seasons, in stints for four different teams, the once reliable right-hander saw ERA balloon from 3.99 in 2023 to 5.86 in 2024 and finally 7.71 in 2025.

Back-to-back rough seasons left the market for Brebbia’s services tepid. At the start of December, the Colorado Rockies took a chance on the journeyman by signing him to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.

At the time, Brebbia thought it was “a good fit” given his personal experience with Denver and his familiarity with Rockies assistant pitching coach Gabe Ribas and director of pitching Matt Daniels, both of whom he had previously worked with as a member of the Detroit Tigers.

Brebbia’s Rockies tenure got off to a great start in the first couple weeks of spring training.

In his first four outings, the right-hander threw five scoreless innings while only allowing a single hit and collecting seven strikeouts. It looked like perhaps the veteran had been able to find the form that had led him to early career success.

However, his chances of making the team plummeted in his fifth and sixth spring appearances for the Rockies in which he allowed seven runs over three innings.

His ultimate undoing was likely the two home runs he allowed to the Giants on March 19.

Just four days later, Brebbia was cut from the roster and granted his release in an attempt to catch on with another team. Ultimately, the journeyman would end up signing another minor league deal with the Minnesota Twins.

Brebbia spent the first two months of the season pitching for the Twins triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints, for whom he amassed a 6.20 ERA over 20.1 innings.

The Twins released Brebbia on May 20. After finding himself once again on the lookout for a place to pitch, Brebbia re-signed with the Rockies and appeared in his first game for the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes on May 31.

For the Isotopes, Brebbia genuinely excelled.

After not allowing a run across seven outings for Albuquerque, the Rockies called Brebbia up to the Major League roster on June 21.

The Rockies announced today the following transactions:
– Selected the contract of RHP John Brebbia (#60) from Triple-A Albuquerque.
– Placed RHP Blas Castaño on the 15-day IL, retroactive to June 18 (right pectoral strain).
– Designated LHP Sammy Peralta for assignment.

— Rockies Club Information (@RockiesClubInfo) June 21, 2026

His regular season stint with the Rockies mirrored his time with them in spring training.

In his first two outings for the big league team, Brebbia threw three scoreless innings and allowed only two hits. Once again, it seemed like perhaps the Rockies pitching coaches had possibly managed to help the veteran look more like his early career self.

Then came his game against the Marlins on June 30 which… did not go well.

First came this massive two-run homer from catcher Joe Mack in the top of the seventh:

Followed by this absolute skyscraper of a three-run shot from Owen Caissie in the eighth:

Those monster home runs moved his 2026 Major League ERA from 0.00 to 10.38, which is where it remained for the rest of the season because he was designated for assignment the next day.

Brebbia would go on to make another six appearances for the Isotopes before finishing off the season with the Boston Red Sox Triple-A affiliate the Worcester Red Sox.

All told, Brebbia managed to pitch four and a third Major League innings in 2026 with a 10.38 ERA, a 1.62 WHIP, and two strikeouts.

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Brandon Woodruff made it to the World Series.

The Brewers pitcher, shelved with what was believed to be a season-ending shoulder injury in July, was named to Milwaukee’s 26-man roster ahead of Game 1 against the Rays on Friday.

The 33-year-old is the longest-tenure member of the Brewers and was set to have surgery to repair a capsule in his right shoulder — the same shoulder that caused him to miss all of 2024.

In August, he announced he’d healed fast enough to not need the procedure and began throwing.

On Tuesday, his fastball hit the low 90s in a simulated game.

“I’ve probably made (the team’s) decision a little bit harder, which is a good problem for them,” Woodruff said Thursday. “I’m lucky, I’m blessed, we got a chance to win the World Series, and regardless of what happens, I will be just as excited to win if I’m on the roster or not.”

His inclusion is a bit of a gambit for Milwaukee, as he may not be able to be replaced on the roster due to rules regarding non-chronic injuries.

“We’d love to do it,” manager Pat Murphy told reporters Thursday. “But we have responsibility to those 20-some guys in there and to the organization and to the city and to whoever else we’re responsible to.”

In the end, they did it, and will now have their two-time All-Star back in action — potentially as a starter, per The Athletic.

Woodruff went 2-2 in nine starts on the season, posting a 2.98 ERA to go with 47 strikeouts and 10 walks over 45 1/3 innings.

With Woodruff on the World Series roster, the Brewers left right-hander Chad Patrick off after he didn’t pitch in the NLCS sweep of the Dodgers.

If the first World Series game in Milwaukee in 44 years wasn't enough to get the American Family Field crowd in a frenzy, the Brewers are calling on two club icons to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 1.

Former Brewers owner Bud Selig, who was instrumental in bringing the franchise to Milwaukee in 1970, and Hall of Famer Robin Yount, considered the greatest player in team history, highlighted the first pitch ceremony.

Yountplayed his entire 20-year major league career in Milwaukee. During that time, he earned two MVP awards (1982 and 1989) and was a 1999 inductee into the Hall of Fame. Yount played a vital role in the Brewers' last World Series appearance in '82.

When his efforts to bring an expansion franchise to Milwaukee for the 1969 season fell short, Selig didn't have to wait long for another opportunity to bring a major league team to the city. In 1970, the Seattle Pilots went bankrupt after one season, Selig purchased the team and moved it to Milwaukee. Selig, and later his daughter Wendy Selig-Prieb when Bud was MLB commissioner, owned the team until 2005 when it was purchased by current owner Mark Attanasio.

Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, another member of the 1982 Brewers team, will throw out the first pitch before Game 2 of the World Series.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is throwing first pitch for World Series Game 1? Brewers call on franchise icons