The World Series always delivers plenty of intriguing storylines. This year, one of the most prominent is the fact that neither the Brewers nor the Rays has won a World Series title -- yet.
The Brewers joined MLB in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots. The Rays entered in 1998. One of these teams will win it all.
There aren’t even many players involved who have been to the Fall Classic before now.
This World Series is unlike any other we have seen in a while. Here are three big reasons why, with some research help from the Elias Sports Bureau.
Two teams that have never won
Since the 1921 season began, this is just the second World Series matchup between two franchises that had never won, joining the 1980 Fall Classic, when the Phillies beat the Royals.
Before that, it hadn’t happened since 1920, when Cleveland defeated the Dodgers. The only other World Series between franchises both bidding for their first title were all in the first decade of the World Series’ existence, in its first, second, third, fourth and sixth iterations. It happened in 1909 (Pirates over Tigers), 1907 (Cubs over Tigers), 1906 (White Sox over Cubs), 1905 (Giants over A’s) and of course in 1903 (Americans, now Red Sox, over Pirates). There was no World Series in 1904.
That makes this the eighth World Series between two franchises both seeking their first titles. It’s the first of those where both franchises have been waiting for at least 25 years.
Considering all of the possible combinations and permutations of World Series matchups, it’s pretty fun to see how infrequently two teams’ bids at a first title have aligned.
A guaranteed first-time World Series winner
The logical next step is that a matchup of teams bidding for a first title means we are guaranteed a first-time winner. Of course.
It will be the fourth time in the last 10 seasons we see a franchise win its first, joining the 2023 Rangers, 2019 Nationals and 2017 Astros. The last time there were at least four first-time champions in a 10-World Series span came when we saw the 2002 Angels, 2001 Diamondbacks, 1997 Marlins and 1992 Blue Jays get it done.
The only other such 10-champion span since 1920 began was right at the beginning of the live-ball era, when the 1926 Cardinals, 1924 Senators (now Twins), 1923 Yankees and 1920 Cleveland won for the first time.
There’s a bit of added history for a potential Brewers win, given how long they’ve been around. The franchise has completed 57 seasons without a title -- 2026 isn’t part of that count yet because the outcome is still pending. It’s the 10th-longest World Series drought (starting with the first edition in 1903, with no penalty for NL clubs who existed before it did).
But many of the longer droughts, like the most famous one atop the list by the Cubs (107 seasons), were between titles. If we look at longest title droughts among teams looking to win their franchise’s first World Series, 57 seasons would rank fourth. The Phillies played 77 seasons between the first Fall Classic and their first World Series win in 1980. The Orioles/Browns took 63 seasons, and the Rangers/Senators took 62. The Padres, at 58, are on the list with an active drought, like the Brewers for now.
Not much World Series experience
There are only three players combined on these two teams who have appeared in a World Series games: Yandy Díaz (five in 2020), Dustin May (two in 2020 with the Dodgers) and Steven Matz (one in 2015 with the Mets).
Not counting the first World Series in 1903, three would tie for the third-fewest players on both teams combined to appear in a World Series who had prior World Series experience. There were three in 2017, with Carlos Beltrán, Justin Verlander and Chase Utley. Aside from that, there was one in the third World Series in 1906 (Patsy Dougherty) and none in the second in 1905.
But Beltrán, Verlander and Utley had combined for 20 games, a quite different situation from the eight games of experience here.
Again excluding 1903, the fewest combined games of World Series experience by players to appear in a Fall Classic is none in 1905, followed by eight in 1906, all from Dougherty. That means this World Series will have players with the fewest combined games of experience for any World Series starting with the fourth edition of the Fall Classic.
No matter how you slice it, this World Series has numerous historic angles. Baseball is the best.