2026 World Series Game 1: Analysis as Brewers beat Rays - ESPN

Game 1 of the 2026 World Series is in the books — and it even included some ninth-inning drama.

With both teams playing for the first championship in their respective franchise's history, the Milwaukee Brewers came out swinging Friday, scoring two runs in the first inning and riding that early lead to a series-opening win over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays had a chance in the ninth, cutting the Brewers' lead to just one when a run scored after what appeared to be a game-ending double play was overturned.

It wasn't just Milwaukee's bats that impressed out of the gate, as ace Jacob Misiorowski made history on the first pitch of the game, setting a record for the fastest pitch in a World Series game at 103.5 mph. With the win, he also became the youngest pitcher to win Game 1 of the World Series since 1997.

We've got you covered with all the in-game action, as well as postgame takeaways from Milwaukee.

Key links: How to win World Series | Playoff MVP tracker | Full schedule

Milwaukee leads series 1-0

It was over when… Misiorowski handed a lead to his bullpen. Sure, the score was 2-1 and the Rays are good in close games — and in a vacuum, things could go either way. But you do not want to be trailing right now against Milwaukee's high-leverage relievers. That was especially true in Game 1, when Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and Trevor Megill were working with plenty of rest.

Game 1 star: It won't show up on a win probability chart this way, but William Contreras had a huge first game with the bat and in the field. His first-inning single drove in a run, and then he later walked and singled. Behind the plate, he made all the right yes/no calls on challenges, cut down two Rays would-be base stealers, one finishing the backend of a