Key takeaways
- The Rays beat Cleveland 7-3 in ALCS Game 6 on Monday, October 19, and will meet the Brewers in the World Series starting Friday, October 23.
- According to NBC News, the Rays had the third-lowest payroll in MLB and the Brewers ranked 19th, yet they posted the best records in the American and National leagues.
- Milwaukee won a league-high 103 games and Tampa Bay won 98, so one of them will be a first-time champion.
- Reporting so far doesn't explain how either team spent its money, so the "how" is still mostly an open question.
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday, October 19, and they’ll play the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. Game 1 is Friday, October 23.
The matchup is a small-market one. According to NBC News, the Rays carried the third-lowest payroll in baseball this year, and the Brewers ranked 19th. They still finished with the best records in their leagues.
How did the Rays get past Cleveland?
They won the last three games of the series. Cleveland led 2-1, Tampa Bay took Games 4 and 5, then closed it out 7-3 on Monday to win the ALCS 4-2, per NBC News.
Richie Palacios hit a two-run double in the 2nd, and Jonny DeLuca’s sacrifice fly in the 3rd made it 3-0. Cleveland got within 3-1 in the 6th. Junior Caminero answered with a two-run homer in the 7th. Cleveland scored two in the 8th to make it 5-3, and Yandy Diaz put it away with a two-run homer.
Before that, Tampa Bay swept the Yankees in the Division Series.
Just how small are these payrolls?
The Rays are the smaller of the two. NBC reports they had the third-lowest payroll in MLB. The Brewers ranked 19th. That’s a real gap, and the reporting doesn’t give dollar figures for either club.
The results don’t line up with the spending. Milwaukee won 103 games, the most in MLB, and Tampa Bay won 98. NBC says each team had the best record in its league. Only NBC reports the payroll rankings, so treat the exact ranks as one outlet’s count.
The Brewers’ 19th place is the more interesting number to me. It doesn’t describe a shoestring operation, just a team that didn’t outspend anyone. The Rays are the clearer case of winning on very little.
What does the pitching tell us?
Run prevention stands out in what has been reported. Drew Rasmussen has allowed three earned runs across three postseason appearances, according to NBC. The Rays also entered Game 6 allowing 1.0 walks plus hits per inning, a number that tells you opponents weren’t getting on base much.
A staff that keeps runners off the bases is one way a team with less money can stay level with richer ones. The facts here don’t say how Tampa Bay found or developed these pitchers, or what they cost. I’d be wary of anyone who claims to know the formula from the box scores alone.
Milwaukee’s route is even less documented. The Brewers swept the Dodgers in four games in the NLCS, according to PCMag, and that’s about all the detail available so far.
The Rays’ two rough years and a wrecked ballpark
This didn’t come out of nowhere, and it wasn’t smooth. NBC notes Tampa Bay finished fourth in the AL East with a losing record in both 2023 and 2024. That’s a long way from a pennant.
Then Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Field in October 2024. The Rays didn’t host games there again until this August, after a $60 million roof renovation, per NBC. Who paid for that isn’t in the reporting I have. But a club that lost its home field for a stretch and still ended up with 98 wins is a story by itself.
A first-time champion is guaranteed
Neither team has won a title, so this World Series will crown a first-time champion. The Rays are in their third, having lost in 2008 and 2020. The Brewers are in their first since 1982, which PCMag describes as 44 years ago.
The teams met three times in the regular season, all in the first week of the year. Milwaukee won two of the three. That’s a tiny sample from months ago, so I wouldn’t lean on it.
Why this matters if you follow baseball or the business
For fans, it’s a plain reminder that payroll rank doesn’t settle the standings. The 12-team playoff format, in place since 2022, lets six teams per league in, three division winners and three wild cards, according to PCMag. A smaller budget has more ways into a short series than it used to.
For anyone who watches sports economics, two clubs with modest spending getting to the final round will fuel the argument over how much money buys. One World Series doesn’t settle that. Two teams is a small sample, and the Brewers’ middle-of-the-pack payroll complicates a neat “small teams win” story.
If you want a well-regarded book on how teams with less money try to compete, Michael Lewis’s Moneyball is the usual starting point. It’s background reading, not an explanation of these two rosters.
On viewing: PCMag reports the World Series airs on Fox and the Fox One app, with ESPN Radio carrying the games for listeners. The schedule is Games 1 and 2 on October 23 and 24, Games 3 and 4 on October 26 and 27, and Games 5 through 7, if needed, on October 28, 30 and 31. PCMag also advises against buying MLB.TV just for postseason games, since it requires you to sign in through a participating pay-TV provider. For broader help with sports streaming, see our guide on how to stream NFL games. Prices and trial lengths change, so check each service before you pay.
Open questions before Game 1
Several basics aren’t in the reporting yet. Who starts Game 1 and where it’s played are both unreported. Home-field advantage normally goes to the better record, which would be Milwaukee at 103 wins to Tampa Bay’s 98, but no outlet has stated that for this series.
Also missing: who was named ALCS MVP, whether any Rays players are injured or unavailable, and how the Brewers’ four-game sweep of the Dodgers played out. And the central question of this piece, how each club allocated its payroll, hasn’t been answered in any detail. Streaming terms for the Series itself could also shift from what PCMag listed before the ALCS ended.
Tools & products mentioned
- Moneyball on Amazon — Check current price
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Frequently asked questions
Who do the Rays play in the World Series?
The Rays face the Milwaukee Brewers. Tampa Bay clinched with a 7-3 win over Cleveland in ALCS Game 6 on October 19, and Game 1 is Friday, October 23.
Have the Rays or Brewers ever won a World Series?
No. The Rays lost in 2008 and 2020, and the Brewers last reached the World Series in 1982. Either way, a first-time champion will be crowned.
What are the Rays' and Brewers' payroll ranks?
NBC News reports the Rays had the third-lowest payroll in MLB and the Brewers ranked 19th. Neither payroll figure in dollars is in the available reporting.
What channel is the World Series on?
According to PCMag, the World Series airs on Fox and the Fox One app. ESPN Radio carries the games for listeners.
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Sources
This article was compiled from reporting by the following outlets. Links go to the original reports.
- PCMag: How to Watch the Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays MLB Playoff Game 6 (Even for Free)
- NBC News: Tampa Bay Rays advance to World Series, will face Milwaukee Brewers
- Fox News: Dream and Valkyries skip national anthem again in WNBA Finals Game 2 despite rulebook requirement
- Yahoo Sports: WNBA Finals: Dream tie series vs. Valkyries behind electric night from Angel Reese, dominant third quarter
- ESPN: Rays clinch ALCS with Game 6 win, to face Brewers in World Series
