The last World Series in which both participants were seeking their first championship occurred in 1980, when the Philadelphia Royals defeated the Kansas City Royals in six games. While the defending National League champions Milwaukee Brewers patiently await their opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to make the 2026 World Series the eighth such matchup in history.
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The Rays attempt to reach the Fall Classic for the third time in franchise history when they host Cleveland at 8 p.m. Monday in Game 6 of the 2026 ALCS at Tropicana Field in St. Louis. Petersburg, Fla. Tampa Bay fell behind 2-1 in the series, but the rains followed on Friday with 7-3 and 3-1 triumphs to push Cleveland to the brink of elimination.
Freddy Peralta looks to help the Rays take care of Milwaukee in a clash between two of the league’s top five teams, who still have a World Series title to win when he takes the mound Monday. The 30-year-old Dominican right-hander, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Brewers, earned the victory in Game 2 of the ALCS by scattering four hits over six scoreless innings and also pitched the final two innings in Tampa Bay’s Game 4 triumph.
With their backs against the wall, it’s likely the Rangers will use plenty of pitchers in Game 6, starting with reliever Shawn Armstrong. The 36-year-old righty will be pitching for the third straight day after opening Game 4 on Saturday with a scoreless inning and worked 1 1/3 innings out of the bullpen in Sunday’s Game 5 without allowing a run.
Cleveland has not won the World Series since 1948, losing each of its last four appearances. He finally made it to the Fall Classic in 2016, when the Chicago Cubs swept a seven-game sweep to end their 108-year championship drought. The Brewers, who swept the two-game reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, were swept by the St. Louis Cardinals on their way to the previous World Series in 1982, representing the AL.
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Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season concludes when the Washington Emperors (1-3-1) visit the San Francisco 49ers (5-0) at 8:15 pm ET on Monday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Cal. The Chiefs are coming off a 27-27 tie with the New York Giants in which they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, as the 49ers look to remain one of the league’s three undefeated teams. San Francisco, which is 3-0 at home this year, has won seven of its last nine meetings with Washington.
There are four games on Monday’s NHL schedule, between the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-5-1) and the Utah Mammoth (6-3-0) at 9 pm ET at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Pittsburgh lost the first three games of its four-game road trip and went 0-4-1 in five games. The Mammoth are hoping to bounce back from their first home loss of the season, a 6-2 setback against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Another team attempting to snap a three-game skid on Monday is the Toronto Maple Leafs (3-4-2), who host the San Jose Sharks (4-3-1) at 7:30 pm ET at Scotiabank Arena. The Maple Leafs have allowed a total of nine goals in losing the first two contests in a three-game homestand. San Jose went on a six-game sweep in each of their first two road trips, beating the Nashville Predators before losing to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Rays are -155 favorites against the Rangers in the latest consensus MLB betting odds, and the 49ers are 7.5-point favorites over the Chiefs on Monday night. The Mammoth are -188 sports betting favorites against the Penguins and the Maple Leafs are -134 favorites to beat the Sharks.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, Oct. 19. Always in the East
MLB best bets, where they observe
Keepers on the Rays
Time: 8 p.m Location: St. Petersburg, Fla TV: TBS | Stream: Fubo (Try it for free)
SportsLine picks up — Model: radii ML (-155) | an expert: under 6.5 (-105, Adam Thompson) ;
The Rays are in the driver’s seat in the ALCS returning home for the final two games with a 3-2 series lead. Tampa Bay shares the best record in the majors this year with Milwaukee (55-26) and is 4-1 at Tropicana Field this season. Including the regular season, the Rays are also 4-1 at home against Cleveland, and the SportsLine projection model believes they will continue to dominate as Tampa Bay wins Game 6 in 66% of their simulations. The Rays and Rangers have combined for more than five runs in just two of the first five games of the series, and Sportsline expert Adam Thompson (52-24, +2195 in his last 76 MLB reads) wants Game 6 to be a low-scoring affair as well.
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NFL betting where to watch
Emperors at 49ers
Time: 8:15 pm | Location: St. Clare, Cal. | TV: ABC/ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try it for free)
SportsLine picks up — Model: 49ers -7.5 (-105) | an expert: Rachaad White Plus 2.5 receptions (+112, PropBetGuy)
Two of the last 43 victories have been by fewer than seven points after starting the season with double-digit back-to-back victories. But San Francisco has won each of the two meetings with Washington by 17 points, including a 27-10 victory in 2023. The Sportsline model is leaning toward the 49ers winning this matchup comfortably as their simulations have them covering the spread 52% of the time. The Chiefs are without running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin), meaning Rachaad White will likely see good action. The 27-year-old has had fewer than three receptions out of the backfield in three of the first four games this season, but SportsLine’s prop expert PropBetGuy (51-39, +592.5 reads in the last 90 NFL player’s goals) expects him to continue his trend of making at least three catches against the 49ers, which has happened in every game so far this year.
NHL best bets where to watch
Maple Leafs to places
Time: 7:30 p.m Location: Toronto | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try it for free)
SportsLine pick — Model: Under 6.5 (+106)
The Maple Leafs have allowed at least four goals in each of their last three games, and the total has been nine in four of their past six contests. However, San Jose has been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL so far this season, tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for 25th with just 21 goals over eight games. The Sharks have yet to score more than three times in a road game, and the SportsLine Projection model doesn’t see Toronto exceeding that amount. He also doesn’t think the Maple Leafs will light him up as he hits subs on more than 57% of his attempts.
Penguins at Mammoth
Time: 9 p.m Location: Salt Lake City | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try it for free)
SportsLine picks up — Model: Penguins +1.5 (-158) | Expert: Mammoth ML (-182, Matt Severance)
The Penguins showed fight in the opening four-game road trip, when they erased a two-goal deficit against the Chicago Blackhawks before allowing two late third-period goals in a 5-3 defeat. They scored the first two goals in the next game but surrendered the final five in a road loss to the Colorado Avalanche and were never close in a 6-2 setback against the Vegas Golden Knights. But each of Pittsburgh’s last three meetings with Utah were a one-goal affair, and the SportsLine Projection model expects another close Monday battle as its simulations have the Penguins covering the puck at the line 75% of the time. But SportsLine expert Matt Severance (13-5, +939.5 in the last 18 NHL money-line picks) feels that Pittsburgh’s road trip will end with another loss, as he backs the Mammoth, who own one of the top offenses in the league (seventh, 33 goals).
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