The 2026 World Series opens Friday with a storybook twist: both League Championship Series MVPs will face the franchises that gave them their first shot in the majors. Tampa Bay’s Freddy Peralta made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018; Milwaukee’s Jake Bauers debuted for the Rays that same year.
Peralta was 22 when he broke in with Milwaukee and spent eight seasons with the Brewers before the club traded him ahead of the 2026 campaign. After a rough stint with the New York Mets, he landed in Tampa Bay at midseason — and then dominated October, earning ALCS MVP honors after winning the series-clinching Game 6 and appearing three times in the series.
Bauers, the NLCS MVP, debuted for Tampa Bay on June 7, 2018 — his only season with the Rays — before a December 2018 trade to Cleveland. Milwaukee is the fifth team of his big-league career, and he is in the middle of his best season ever.
Peralta’s lone career start against Milwaukee came with the Mets on July 20, when he took the loss at American Family Field. Now he returns to the same mound with a ring on the line — against the team he once anchored.
Photo: Roundtable
Source: Roundtable, October 21, 2026
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