Rays and Brewers bring shared player and staff histories into World Series
Freddy Peralta, Drew Rasmussen and coach Ozzie Timmons have ties to both clubs as Tampa Bay and Milwaukee prepare for Game 1 on October 23.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers enter the 2026 World Series with several player and staff connections, including two Rays pitchers who previously played for Milwaukee. Game 1 is scheduled for October 23 in Milwaukee, where both clubs will begin a series that could give either its first championship.
Forbes contributor Tom Layberger identified Freddy Peralta, Drew Rasmussen and Rays assistant hitting coach Ozzie Timmons among those links. Their histories give the matchup a more personal dimension: Tampa Bay will face the club where Peralta spent most of his major-league career and where Rasmussen and Timmons previously worked.
How Peralta and Timmons link the Rays to Milwaukee
Peralta spent his first eight major-league seasons with the Brewers, according to Forbes. He was a two-time All-Star there, including in 2025, when he won 17 games. Tampa Bay acquired him from the New York Mets at this season’s trade deadline. Timmons, who coached Brewers hitters for three seasons before returning to the Rays in 2025, praised Peralta after that move.
‘He's a great teammate, a competitor and he works hard,’ Timmons said, according to Forbes. The report describes Timmons as an assistant hitting coach on manager Kevin Cash’s staff. It says Peralta went 7-0 with a 0.89 ERA across 10 appearances, including nine starts, from late August through October 21. He then won two games and made a relief appearance against Cleveland on his way to American League Championship Series MVP honors.
Rasmussen’s route from the Brewers to the Rays
Milwaukee selected Rasmussen in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He made 27 appearances for the Brewers in 2020 and 2021, all in relief, before moving to Tampa Bay in a trade that also sent reliever J.P. Feyereisen to the Rays. Willy Adames and Trevor Richards went to Milwaukee, Forbes reported. Rasmussen later joined Tampa Bay’s rotation.
Rasmussen could feature immediately in the reunion. CBS Sports described him as Tampa Bay’s expected Game 1 starter, but reported that neither club had confirmed its pitching plan. The Rays reached the series by beating Cleveland in six games; Milwaukee swept the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to CBS Sports.
Milwaukee’s return to the World Series
The Brewers are making their first World Series appearance since 1982 and their second in franchise history, CBS Sports reported. They finished the regular season 103-59, compared with Tampa Bay’s 98-64. Milwaukee scored 832 runs, second-most in the majors, and posted a plus-214 run differential; the Rays finished at plus-86.
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Sources and context
- Rays, Brewers Head Into 2026 World Series With Many ConnectionsForbes (Tom Layberger; republished by Yahoo Sports)
- Rays vs. Brewers prediction, odds, time: 2026 World Series Game 1 picks by proven model for Friday, Oct. 23CBS Sports
- Three reasons why the Brewers can finally win their first World Series titleCBS Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.