Given that this might be my lost chance to write about baseball (labor woes on the horizon!), I want to weigh in, because this is going to be a fun series. We have, in Tampa Bay and Milwaukee, a guarantee that someone will win their first series ever! Hooray! They are also two middle to low budget teams, and two teams that have done a remarkable job of staying competitive for a long time without spending money. I am not one of those who considers the Dodgers some kind of anathema - spending money to field a competitive team, year after year, seems to be to be what you are supposed to do. But you still have to admit the heck out of teams that can do almost as well on the field with a lot less resources. And these teams have been hanging around the top of the game for a long time. The Brewers have been in the post season every year but one since 2018; the Rays have missed more, but they have been competitive ever since they turned the corner, getting to the World Series in 2008. Both teams have kept themselves in the hunt without spending a pile of money.
They were the best in their respective leagues this year, they have looked every inch the real deal in the post season. They are both interesting teams - with great pitching, solid offenses, that take some odd approaches to the game. They are the top two batting average teams in the game; they run a ton; the Brewers lead the majors in on base percentage - they don't hit a ton of homers, though they have power, and the Rays have Caminero, a pure slugger. They catch the ball. they play hard. They are impressive.
It will be nice to see one of them end the drought this year. It was gratifying as well - and a bit amusing - to think that had the Guardians made it, they could have broken a run of failure almost as long as the the combined existence of these teams. It's a bit wild to think that the Rays have played in more World Series in their history than the Brewers, or that they have been around for 16 years less than the last time Milwaukee played in the series. Or, you know - the second team to represent both leagues in a World Series; or the fact that there was a guy who played for both of these teams this year; or that the guy the Brewers dumped for salary last year (Freddy Peralta) is now on the Rays (after being dumped by the Mets - there's a guy who got a reprieve and a half). It's a good year for trivia fans. But also a good year for baseball, with people like Caminero, Miserowski, Chourio and the like playing for all the marbles.
Now they just have to avoid a strike and have the Mariners play the Padres next year - what could be better?
