The Milwaukee Brewers’ Jacob Misiorowski will pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays’ Nick Martinez in Game 1 of the 2026 World Series on Friday at American Family Stadium.
Misiorowski, who led all MLB pitchers in the regular season with 252 strikeouts, will make his third start this season after pitching four innings and 4 1/3 innings against the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively. Despite mediocre results by their standards, both starts resulted in the Brewers taking a 1-0 lead in the NLDS and NLCS.
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In Game 1 of the NLDS against the Padres, the Brewers’ first pitch was clocked at 104.8 mph, the fastest in the playoffs since MLB began tracking pitch speeds.
Misiorowski, 24, rested well on Friday, as he will have 11 days since his last trip to the mound. This will be the Brewers’ first World Series appearance since 1982 and only the second in franchise history.
Martinez, 36, will make his 11th career start and third in these playoffs. He pitched 3 2/3 innings in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees and allowed two on five hits. He next pitched in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Rangers, allowing 5 1/3 innings with one run and two hits. Both ended with major road wins for the Rays.
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Martinez has been more productive at Tropicana Field this season. His ERA at home was 3.90 this season, compared to 2.43 on the road, which includes playoff games.
Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen and Freddy Peralta are expected to field the ball for Games 2 and 3. The pitching ball is not yet known, although Logan Henderson is the likely Game 2 starter.
This season, Rasmussen recorded 23 strikeouts in 21 innings with a 0.76 ERA while holding opponents to a .178 batting average. ALCS MVP Peralta has a 0.90 ERA with 39 strikeouts in his past nine starts.
Game 1 of the 2026 World Series begins at 8 p.m. ET Friday on Fox, Fox One and Fox Sports.