World Series 2026 Full Schedule and Potential Pitching Matchups in the Bracket

The Milwaukee Brewers are no closer to knowing who they will draw in the 2026 World Series than they were when they first secured their spot in the MLB championship round Thursday night.

What they do know is that regardless of how the ALCS shakes out, they're going to be up against a formidable pitching staff.

The Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays, who had their scheduled Game 4 matchup washed out and ultimately postponed on Friday, both posted top-10 team ERAs this season. The Guardians were true punchout artists with the third-most strikeouts in the Majors, while the Rays collectively posted the best WHIP.

In other words, Milwaukee's hitters will have their work cut out for them. And the Brewers' pitchers will have no simple time of bettering their counterparts despite forming one of only two pitching staffs (along with the Los Angeles Dodgers) to finish top-five in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts.

This all has us imagining just what the baseball gods might cook up in terms of pitching matchups for the Fall Classic. So, after providing the full World Series schedule, we'll spotlight a potential marquee matchup from either series we could have.

Game 1: ALCS winner at Milwaukee Brewers (Fox)

Game 2: ALCS winner at Milwaukee Brewers (Fox)

Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers at ALCS winner (Fox)

Game 4: Milwaukee Brewers at ALCS winner (Fox)

Game 5: Milwaukee Brewers at ALCS winner (Fox)*

Game 6: ALCS winner at Milwaukee Brewers (Fox)*

Game 7: ALCS winner at Milwaukee Brewers (Fox)*

Guardians-Brewers: Gavin Williams vs. Jacob Misiorowski

If the baseball gods give us this matchup, that will be great news for whoever enjoys watching fans flip "K" signs at MLB games.

Two pitchers topped 240 strikeouts this season, and this theoretical matchup would feature both. Gavin Williams punched out a ridiculous 248 batters in his 184.1 innings, while Misiorowski somehow managed to cram his MLB-best 252 strikeouts into just 174.2 innings.

Williams had a great regular season, but Misiorowski's was an all-timer. Then again, maybe that wouldn't matter given the kind of heater Williams has been on this postseason. In four playoff outings (three starts), he has tallied 33 strikeouts in just 16.2 innings, equating to a mind-melting 17.8 K/9. Throw in his 2.16 ERA and 0.84 WHIP, and he has bettered Misiorowski (11.9 K/9, 3.24 ERA and 1.56 WHIP) on all fronts in the postseason.

Seeing these two hurlers go head-to-head on baseball's biggest stage could give fans a show they wouldn't soon (or maybe ever) forget. But Williams will need some help from his teammates to make this happen, since he appears lined up for a Game 7 start if the Guardians, who are up 2-1, haven't closed out the ALCS by then.

Rays-Brewers: Freddy Peralta vs. Jacob Misiorowski

OK, so this isn't technically ace vs. ace, so maybe this isn't the direction Tampa Bay would go to oppose the mighty Miz. Numbers-wise, that distinction should probably land with Drew Rasmussen, who earned a second consecutive All-Star nod after winning 16 games, averaging an absurd 5.44 strikeouts for every walk and compiling a tidy 2.67 ERA over his 172 innings pitched.

In terms of narratives, though, this would be the juiciest matchup available given Freddy Peralta's history with Milwaukee (his longtime MLB employer before an offseason trade to the New York Mets and later deadline deal to Tampa). Plus, he's been pretty awesome since that second swap and looks even better under the bright postseason lights.

Peralta was a colossal disappointment in New York, but that trade to Tampa totally revitalized him. He went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA after the trade (was 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA before it), and he has been even stingier in the playoffs (1-0 with a rotation-leading 0.84 ERA).

It would be all kinds of fun to see how he'd fare back inside of American Family Field, especially if a headline matchup with Misiorowski brought out his best. And it almost certainly would need to for Tampa to have a chance, since Misiorowski, a lock for the NL Cy Young, just paced the Majors in ERA (1.80), WHIP (0.80) and strikeouts (252).