The 122nd World Series begins Friday night in Milwaukee, and it comes with a twist baseball fans have not seen in decades: no matter who wins, a franchise will lift the Commissioner’s Trophy for the very first time.

The National League champion Milwaukee Brewers host the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 at American Family Field at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One. Here is everything you need to know before first pitch, based on previews from MLB.com.

A rare matchup of No. 1 seeds

This series pits the best team in each league against each other. The Brewers won a franchise-record 103 regular-season games, survived a tight NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres and then swept the two-time reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Championship Series. It is only the second World Series appearance in Milwaukee’s history, and its first since 1982.

The Rays swept the division-rival New York Yankees in the ALDS before beating the Cleveland Guardians in six games in the ALCS. This is Tampa Bay’s third trip to the Fall Classic and its first since 2020.

According to MLB.com, a World Series between two teams that have never won a title has happened only twice in the last 116 years: in 1980, when the Phillies beat the Royals, and in 1920, when Cleveland beat Brooklyn.

The pitching matchup

Brewers: Jacob Misiorowski. The 24-year-old right-hander, nicknamed “The Miz,” gets the ball for a start that Milwaukee fans have waited 44 years to see. He led the majors in the regular season in ERA (1.80), strikeouts (252), WHIP (0.80) and opponents’ batting average (.157). The big question is whether he can recapture that dominance after struggling to pitch deep into games in the first two rounds of the postseason.

Rays: Nick Martinez. In a bit of a surprise, Tampa Bay chose the 36-year-old Martinez over ace Drew Rasmussen, who started Game 1 of both the ALDS and ALCS. Rasmussen will instead pitch Game 2 on Saturday with an extra day of rest, and former Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, the ALCS MVP, is lined up for the games at Tropicana Field. Martinez, a free-agent signing who became a first-time All-Star this season, has pitched only on the road this October, allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks over nine innings. The Rays went 24-9 in his starts this year, including the playoffs.

Storylines to watch

  • Milwaukee’s long wait. This will be the first World Series game at American Family Field, but not the first in Milwaukee. The 1957 Milwaukee Braves and the 1982 Brewers both played World Series games at County Stadium, which stood just west of the current ballpark.
  • Comeback kings. Teams that scored first were 23-12 this postseason heading into the World Series, but the Brewers have bucked that trend, going 5-1 when giving up the first run.
  • Experts lean Milwaukee. In MLB.com’s staff poll, 43 of 51 voters picked the Brewers, with “Brewers in six” the most popular prediction. Of course, October has a way of ignoring predictions.

The full schedule

  • Game 1: Friday, Oct. 23, Rays at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET
  • Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 24, Rays at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET
  • Game 3: Monday, Oct. 26, Brewers at Rays, 8 p.m. ET
  • Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 27, Brewers at Rays, 8 p.m. ET
  • Game 5*: Wednesday, Oct. 28, Brewers at Rays, 8 p.m. ET
  • Game 6*: Friday, Oct. 30, Rays at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET
  • Game 7*: Saturday, Oct. 31, Rays at Brewers, 8 p.m. ET

*If necessary. All games air on FOX, FOX Deportes and FOX One, according to MLB’s official schedule. A Game 7 would land on Halloween night.

How to watch

In the U.S., every game is on FOX with streaming on FOX One, and Spanish-language coverage is on FOX Deportes. Univision is also airing Game 1 in Spanish. ESPN Radio carries national radio coverage of every game, and MLB.TV subscribers can watch if they authenticate through a participating pay-TV provider. In Canada, Sportsnet is the exclusive English-language broadcaster.

The bottom line

Two franchises, two fan bases and two long championship droughts, and only one can end tonight’s journey with a parade. Whether “The Miz” overpowers Tampa Bay’s lineup or the Rays’ surprise Game 1 choice pays off, history starts Friday night in Milwaukee. Grab a seat and settle in: this one is set up to be special.

Image: Miller Park 2018 by Kyvuh via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0