The Buzz · October 23, 2026
The Buzz — Friday, October 23
The World Series starts Friday in Milwaukee, and the morning belongs to a Game 1 starter nobody penciled in and a 22-year-old left fielder whose October resume already outpaces his age — under each, the number that settles what is real.
Nick Martinez
The take Surprising Rays WS Game 1 starter over ace
The surprise fades the moment you check what the Rays do when he pitches. They went 24-9 in Martinez's starts — that is not a third starter's footprint, and it is the number Kevin Cash was pointing at when he announced the choice Oct. 22 as a confident pick, not a concession.
Two things are working at once. Drew Rasmussen has gone at least six innings in each of his three playoff starts — 21 innings, three runs, what Cash called a "pretty thick workload" — and the extra day buys the "full-pitch allotment" the club wants while setting Freddy Peralta for Game 3 at home. The other leg is the road: Martinez posted a 2.38 ERA across 16 road starts against 3.90 at home, and Game 1 is in Milwaukee.
At 36 years and 79 days old, he is the oldest pitcher to start a World Series Game 1 debut since 2004, and he arrives with two October starts behind him — three runs over nine innings. The 3.10 ERA across 180 innings and his first All-Star selection came this year on a one-year deal. Rasmussen is the ace. Martinez is the one who keeps winning, and the club is handing him the ball where the numbers say to.
Nick Martinez cards on eBay →(paid link)
Jackson Chourio
The take Brewers young OF hyped for October records, star upside
The records are real, not projections. Chourio owns the Brewers' franchise postseason marks — 6 home runs and 18 RBI across 20 playoff games — and those 18 RBI are the most by any player before turning 23, passing Andruw Jones. He is the first in MLB history with three straight 20-20 seasons before age 23, off a .291 regular season with 25 home runs, 23 steals, and 4.9 WAR.
What the hype glosses over is the current October. His line entering the Series is .171/.211/.343, but a .314 xBA and .585 xSLG say the contact is sound and the average is lying. The game-tying homer at 113.3 mph off the Padres and the walk-off single off Mason Miller are the swings everyone remembers. The bat is not cold — the hits have not fallen yet, and Friday is where that resolves.
Jackson Chourio cards on eBay →(paid link)
The rotation is the tell
Tampa Bay did not stumble into this alignment — they chose it, and the choice says they expect to still be playing next week. Martinez on the road where he posted 2.38, Rasmussen with an extra day, Peralta for Game 3 at home. Milwaukee counters with Misiorowski. If Martinez gives the Rays what he gave them in two October starts — three runs over nine innings — Tampa Bay likes where it sits. The guess here is that he does, and Game 1 turns on which bullpen blinks first.