World Series 2026: Brewers and Rays bring elite speed to Fall Classic

The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have built their paths to the World Series on speed, and neither team is expected to change approach now that a championship is on the line. Both clubs ranked among MLB’s top five in stolen bases during the regular season and have continued to run aggressively through the playoffs.

Tampa Bay tied for second in the majors with 164 steals during the regular season. Milwaukee ranked fifth with 162. Over nine postseason games, the Rays have stolen 11 bases without being caught. The Brewers have 10 steals on 12 attempts across eight games. The World Series, which begins Friday, could produce stolen-base totals not seen in a Fall Classic this century.

Historical context

Only one pennant winner in the Wild Card Era (since 1995) produced more regular-season stolen bases than these two teams. The 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks led with 166. The 2026 Rays (164) and Brewers (162) sit second and third on that list, ahead of the 2001 Yankees (161) and the 2014 Royals (153).

A World Series pairing between two top-five stolen-base teams has happened only four times in the Divisional Era (since 1969). The most recent was 2008, when the Rays led MLB with 142 steals and faced the Phillies, who ranked fourth with 136. That series lasted five games but produced 14 stolen bases, the most in a World Series this century. The 2026 matchup could challenge that mark.

Key facts

Rays baserunners to watch

Chandler Simpson is the centerpiece of Tampa Bay’s running game. He led the American League with 46 steals in 2026 while batting .306. Simpson has not hit a home run in his career and rarely walks, but he led MLB with 42 infield hits. He has added three more steals in the playoffs.

Taylor Walls (21 steals), Cedric Mullins (21), Richie Palacios (17) and Jonny DeLuca (17) also reached double digits during the regular season. Victor Mesa Jr. added nine steals in 79 games. Those five players have combined for eight stolen bases this October.

Brewers balance the attack

Milwaukee lacks a single elite speed threat but has more lineup-wide balance. Seven Brewers stole at least 11 bases this season. David Hamilton led the team with 30 steals in 121 games and has gone 3-for-3 in postseason steal attempts despite starting only three of eight games.

Jackson Chourio has not found his rhythm at the plate, reaching base at a .211 clip in the playoffs, but he has posted three straight seasons with 20-plus stolen bases. Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt stole 19 bases in 74 games after his June debut.

Which team can slow the running game?

The Brewers held opponents to 71 stolen bases during the regular season, the second-lowest total in MLB. Tampa Bay allowed 131 steals, the sixth most.

Catcher William Contreras posted a 34% caught-stealing rate for Milwaukee, compared to 15.9% for Tampa Bay’s Liam Hicks. However, Statcast’s catcher throwing metric rated the two catchers similarly based on the opportunities they faced.

The bigger gap is on the mound. Milwaukee’s pitching staff ranked among MLB’s best at preventing steals, with a net bases prevented figure of +21 (regular season and postseason combined). Tampa Bay pitchers ranked 28th at -28.

That gap will be tested in Game 1. Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski has proven difficult to steal against, while Tampa Bay’s Drew Rasmussen allowed 23 stolen bases, the fourth-highest total in the majors. Rasmussen has allowed only 13 hits and three walks over 21 postseason innings with a 1.29 ERA, keeping the bases mostly empty.

The simplest way to prevent stolen bases is to prevent baserunners. If either pitching staff can limit traffic on the bases, the World Series may not turn into the track meet the numbers suggest.

Source: MLB.com – World Series could turn into a track meet. Can either team slow the other down? (https://www.mlb.com/news/world-series-2026-brewers-rays-speed-stolen-bases-matchup)