Back
The Tampa Bay Rays' season isn't finished quite yet.
The Rays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-3 in Game 4 on Tuesday, using a 12th-inning rally to extend the 2026 World Series to Wednesday. After Brewers rookie Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead solo shot in the top of the 12th, Tampa Bay responded with four straight singles in the bottom half of the inning, capped off by Ben Williamson's walk-off knock. But now, both teams head into Wednesday's action having used at least seven pitchers in this extra-innings thriller.
Here are the pitchers who could play a major role in Game 5 of the 2026 World Series.
The Brewers are expected to hand the ball to their ace on Wednesday. Right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is scheduled to start Game 5 for Milwaukee. The presumptive 2026 National League Cy Young Award winner allowed one run over five innings in Game 1 of the World Series. If the 24-year-old starts Game 5, he'll be pitching on four days' rest.
Interestingly, Misiorowski hasn't thrown more than five innings in any of his three starts so far in the 2026 MLB playoffs. Milwaukee also used eight different pitchers on Tuesday. So, the Brewers will likely hope for an efficient and effective outing from the hard-throwing righty in Game 5 before manager Pat Murphy turns things over to the team's high-leverage bullpen arms.
The Rays haven't officially announced a Game 5 starter yet, but they seemingly have an interesting decision to make. Tampa Bay's Game 1 starting pitcher, right-hander Nick Martinez, threw two scoreless innings of relief in Game 4 on Tuesday. That likely means he's no longer a realistic option to start Game 5.
On the other hand, Martinez started Game 1 of the World Series to give right-hander Drew Rasmussen a little extra rest before Game 2. But that now means if the Rays want to start their ace in Game 5, he'd be pitching on just three days' rest. Even on short rest, Rasmussen might give Tampa Bay its best shot to keep its season alive. If the two-time All-Star doesn't start on Wednesday, though, the Rays will most likely have to go with a bullpen game just one day after using seven pitchers in Game 4.