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Rays reach World Series

Sports · Heat 3.2 / 10 · 11 shows · 1h 46m airtime

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians on October 19 to win the American League pennant and reach the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, who have not appeared in one since 1982 and, like Tampa Bay, have never won it. The discussion has moved to how these teams are built: the Brewers and Rays rank 19th and 28th in payroll, are the two lowest launch-angle teams in baseball, and Tampa Bay led MLB with 45 sacrifice bunts, was second with 164 stolen bases, and led baseball with 2.5 walks per nine. Freddy Peralta is the sixth player in 10 years to win postseason MVP after a midseason trade, and Jake Bauers, traded away in the Yandy Diaz deal…

How 11 podcasts covered it

  1. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-13 (31:42 to 32:49)
    Adds the errors-forced figure
    Picks up the small-ball thread and adds a new figure: no team has had more errors committed against it over the last two years than the Brewers, credited to the pressure their contact approach puts on defenses. Groups Milwaukee with Cleveland and Tampa Bay as the late-80s revival.
    New angle: No team has had more errors committed against it over the last two years than the Brewers.
  2. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-15 (27:58 to 34:04)
    Argues the payroll resentment is misplaced
    Argues the payroll-gap resentment aimed at the Dodgers is misplaced: the Brewers and Rays are the two best teams, and big contracts buy older, injury-prone players who cannot be traded. A framing segment that stays inside the payroll-versus-model debate already on the record.
  3. The Pat McAfee Show, 2026-10-15 (2:19 to 3:25)
    Recaps the ALCS Game 3 time change
    Recaps the ALCS Game 3 start-time change from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. in Cleveland because of weather, noting both teams agreed, and praises MLB for getting ahead of the forecast. It stays inside the scheduling detail already on the record.
  4. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-15 (15:36 to 19:25)
    Checks in on the tied ALCS and Game 3 time
    Mid-ALCS check-in with the series tied 1-1: Cleveland's bats showed up, Peralta has been magnificent since the Rays fixed him, and Game 3 moved to 1 p.m. Eastern. Virk picks the Rays but gives Gavin Williams the edge in Game 3.
    New angle: Game 3 of the ALCS was moved to 1 p.m. Eastern time.
  5. The Pat McAfee Show, 2026-10-16 (44:57 to 50:01)
    Recaps the Guardians' Game 3 win
    Saban's answer on preparing for familiar opponents turns into Brewers talk: he praises their defense, team speed and small ball, and says he did not think anyone could beat the Dodgers before the sweep. The segment then recaps the Guardians' Game 3 win over the Rays.
  6. Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, 2026-10-20 (0:27 to 6:19)
    Recaps Game 6 of the ALCS
    Recaps Game 6 of the ALCS: Palacios's two-run double, Caminero's seventh-inning homer and 38-second trot, Diaz's two-run shot, Peralta on full rest. It stays inside the result already on the record, adding only the clinching-game detail.
  7. Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, 2026-10-20 (7:55 to 11:14)
    Reports from the Trop after the clinch
    Reports from the Trop after the clinch: the clubhouse party, the former Rays in the building, and Caminero's pose for Arozarena. Adds Antonetti's own count of his Cleveland tenure and Peralta's ALCS MVP award.
    New angle: Chris Antonetti told Rogers he is 0 for 28 trying to win a World Series for Cleveland.
  8. Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, 2026-10-20 (11:14 to 12:31)
    Recaps Peralta's ALCS MVP and Game 6 line
    Peralta's ALCS MVP segment: the trade reaction, the numbers since the Mets deal, and the clubhouse scene when he learned he won. Adds his Game 6 line - one run on five hits and three walks - which the card did not have.
    New angle: Peralta gave up one run on five hits and three walks in Game 6.
  9. Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, 2026-10-20 (12:31 to 13:41)
    Rules the Palacios check swing correct
    Revisits the Palacios check-swing double and rules the call correct, adding that third base umpire Bill Miller made a similar check-swing call on Pete Crow-Armstrong in the Padres-Cubs wildcard round. Notes MLB is testing ways to take check swings away from umpire judgment.
    New angle: Third base umpire Bill Miller also made a check-swing call on Pete Crow-Armstrong in the Padres-Cubs wildcard round.
  10. Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, 2026-10-20 (13:41 to 14:55)
    Times Simpson's bunt single at 3.78 seconds
    Zooms in on Chandler Simpson's bunt single in the clinching game, timing him to first at 3.78 seconds and faulting Cleveland's bunt rotation and catcher on the play. Then pivots to a quick preview of the Rays' rotation depth against Milwaukee.
    New angle: Chandler Simpson reached first in 3.78 seconds on a bunt single in Game 6.
  11. Morning Brew Daily, 2026-10-20 (0:47 to 2:12)
    Recaps the pennant then jokes about the Trop
    Opens the show on the Rays beating Cleveland for the pennant and the Brewers matchup, then spends most of the segment on Tropicana Field jokes and a rooting preference. The baseball facts are a quick recap.
    New angle: The Rays beat the Guardians to reach a World Series against the Brewers, neither of which has ever won one.
  12. PTI, 2026-10-20 (14:13 to 15:55)
    Previews the ALCS with Tampa Bay's head-to-head edge
    Answers a listener email on whether the ALCS ends tonight, leaning on Tampa Bay's 13-game regular-season edge and 6-2 head-to-head mark, then counters with Cleveland's 2-0 comeback over the White Sox and Gavin Williams waiting for the next game. A preview of a series already covered, with no new development.
  13. The Dan Le Batard Show, 2026-10-20 (24:45 to 30:07)
    Argues small-market seeds undercut the cap case
    Recaps the Rays' six-game clinch and the first-time-champion angle, then argues the two small-market one-seeds undercut the owners' salary-cap case. Stays inside the matchup framing already on the record.
  14. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-20 (0:14 to 3:05)
    Retells the Rays-Brewers matchup and Caminero's trot
    Opens the show on the Rays-Brewers World Series, then wanders through the Devil Rays name change, the uniform matchup and Junior Caminero's 38-second home run trot. A light retelling that stays inside the matchup already on the record.
  15. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-20 (1:41 to 2:29)
    Adds the Peralta reunion to the matchup
    Stat of the Day on the Rays' pennant: Freddy Peralta, traded twice in seven months, won postseason MVP and now faces the Brewers, the team that dealt him in January. Adds the midseason-acquisition angle to the matchup preview.
    New angle: Freddy Peralta is the sixth player in 10 years to win postseason MVP after a midseason trade.
  16. The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-20 (42:50 to 47:07)
    Recaps the matchup and Caminero's long trot
    Recaps the Rays-Brewers matchup and the first-time-champion angle, then lingers on Caminero's 38-second trot and Diaz's dugout dap. Stays inside the pre-series framing, with a Mets aside on Peralta.
  17. PTI, 2026-10-20 (5:12 to 8:44)
    Recaps the clincher and a labor angle
    Recaps Tampa Bay's series-clinching win over Cleveland - Caminero's go-ahead homer, Diaz's blast the next inning, the six-game finish - and stays inside the first-time-champion framing already on the record. The one fresh note is a small-market labor angle.
  18. Pardon My Take, 2026-10-21 (2:58 to 15:15)
    Recaps the clincher and the ticket backlash
    Recaps the Rays' Game 6 clincher and the World Series matchup with the Brewers, then works through the timeless ticket backlash and Caminero's 38-second trot. Stays inside the week's coverage, adding only color on Peralta's mechanical fixes in Tampa.
  19. First Take, 2026-10-21 (35:52 to 37:10)
    Picks the Brewers in seven on home field
    Russo picks the Brewers in seven, leaning on home field, a deeper bullpen and the NL being the tougher league. A prediction segment that retells the matchup and stays inside what the card already has.
  20. The Ryen Russillo Show, 2026-10-21 (25:47 to 27:35)
    Previews the World Series as a small-market dream
    Passan previews the Brewers-Rays World Series from St. Petersburg, framing it as a dream matchup for Midwestern and small-market fans and recapping Milwaukee's path, including the sweep of the Dodgers a year after being swept. Setup and framing, no new development.
  21. The Ryen Russillo Show, 2026-10-21 (27:26 to 31:22)
    Explains Milwaukee's years of building under Stearns
    Passan explains how Milwaukee got here: years of building under David Stearns, eight playoff trips in nine years, and a culture of accountability under Pat Murphy, who got the job at 65 after Craig Counsell left for Chicago. The segment adds the organizational backstory behind the pennant.
    New angle: The Brewers have made the playoffs eight of the last nine years, built under David Stearns.
  22. The Ryen Russillo Show, 2026-10-21 (31:22 to 35:15)
    Walks through how Tampa built the roster
    Passan walks through how Tampa built this roster: deadline wins at pitcher and catcher, the failed Arraez pursuit, and payroll context. Adds the payroll ranks and the Hicks acquisition as the catcher fix the franchise had chased for years.
    New angle: The Brewers and Rays rank 19th and 28th in total payroll; Tampa's 2026 payroll would have ranked 12th in 2010.
  23. The Ryen Russillo Show, 2026-10-21 (40:18 to 45:24)
    Frames the series as a launch-angle matchup
    Passan and Russillo frame the Rays-Brewers series as a matchup of the two lowest launch-angle teams in baseball, tracing it to farm-system philosophies preached for over a decade and comparing it to the 2014-15 Royals and the 2002 Angels. An analytical angle on how Tampa Bay wins rather than a retelling of the pennant.
    New angle: The Brewers and Rays are the two lowest launch-angle teams in baseball.
  24. The Ryen Russillo Show, 2026-10-21 (45:24 to 49:30)
    Walks through the Diaz player-development story
    Passan walks through the Rays' player-development process using Yandy Diaz: Tampa tried to raise his launch angle, it failed, and the club made him a leadoff hitter on his on-base skills instead. He notes Jake Bauers, traded away in the Diaz deal, is now NLCS MVP facing them.
    New angle: Jake Bauers, traded away in the Yandy Diaz deal, is the NLCS MVP facing the Rays.
  25. The Herd with Colin Cowherd, 2026-10-22 (21:16 to 24:56)
    Previews the Series through a ratings argument
    Previews the Brewers-Rays World Series through a ratings argument: market size is overrated, and Milwaukee's bunt-and-steal style is a good watch. Cites the high-rated NLCS sweep of the Dodgers and picks Milwaukee in six. Stays inside the matchup already on the record.
  26. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-22 (0:13 to 3:40)
    Previews the Brewers-Rays series and owns picks
    Opens with a World Series preview, setting the Brewers-Rays series for Friday and arguing the lack of marquee names hides young stars. Dan owns an 0-for-3 postseason, having picked the White Sox over the Guardians and Rays and the Dodgers in six. A recap of the bracket, staying inside the matchup already on the record.
  27. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-22 (9:16 to 12:17)
    Previews the Rays-Brewers series with X-factors
    Previews the Rays-Brewers series through Dan's X-factors: the Caminero-Misiorowski power matchup and the Brewers bullpen's 7-1 record and 1.33 ERA over 40 2/3 innings, with no starter wins. Analysis and prediction, not a new development.
  28. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-22 (12:14 to 13:37)
    Adds the Rays' bunt and steal fundamentals
    Third X-factor segment on the Rays-Brewers series: both clubs sit in the bottom third in homers and top 10 in team ERA, and Dan puts the Rays' MLB-leading 45 sacrifice bunts, 164 steals and 2.5 walks per nine on the record as the fundamentals edge.
    New angle: The Rays led MLB with 45 sacrifice bunts and were second with 164 stolen bases; their 2.5 walks per nine led baseball.
  29. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-22 (13:31 to 16:15)
    Adds the Rays bullpen side of the comparison
    Mario's X-factors segment on the World Series matchup. It adds the Rays' side of the bullpen comparison - a 3.6 postseason ERA over roughly ten fewer innings than Milwaukee - and frames the series as decided when the bullpens enter.
    New angle: The Rays bullpen has a 3.6 ERA this postseason and has pitched about 10 fewer innings than the Brewers' bullpen.
  30. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-22 (16:15 to 17:17)
    Debates whether small ball answers sudden slugging
    Debates whether small ball can answer sudden slugging, noting the Brewers won NLCS games on long counts that ended in home runs rather than walks. Stays inside the matchup framing already on the record, with no new figure or development.
  31. Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney, 2026-10-23 (40:28 to 43:20)
    Questions Franco's visa with the case open
    Frames the Rays' pennant as remarkable given Wander Franco's absence, then goes to the unresolved state of his case: no suspension yet, and an open question about a working visa.
    New angle: Wander Franco has not been suspended because his case is unresolved, and whether he could get a working visa is an open question.
  32. The Dan Patrick Show, 2026-10-23 (25:57 to 28:47)
    Debates a letdown against the Rays
    A caller compares the Brewers' NLCS win over the Dodgers to the Miracle on Ice, and the crew debates whether Milwaukee could let down against the Rays. It stays inside the matchup and history already on the record.
  33. The Rich Eisen Show, 2026-10-27 (44:29 to 47:04)
    Predicts Brewers close out Rays before Game 6
    A quick prediction segment: the hosts pick the Brewers to finish the Rays without a Game 6, then run through Monday night's results across the NFL, WNBA, WWE and NBA. It stays inside the matchup already on the record.
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