The Tampa Bay Rays will face the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series after both teams reach the Fall Classic without having previously won a championship. The Athletic, NPR, and Yahoo Sports all report this matchup is a rare one: it pairs two franchises seeking their first World Series title, occurring for only the second time in the last century.
NPR and Yahoo Sports note that both teams have not won a World Series since 1980 in terms of first-time champions in the matchup, marking a milestone compared with more familiar repeat contenders. Yahoo Sports adds that the Rays secure their spot by finishing off the Cleveland Guardians, setting up the small-market showdown. The Athletic frames the series as a contest between first-time standard-bearers, emphasizing the historic nature of two new championship pursuits.
