The 2026 World Series is here and it will go through Milwaukee.

It's been a long wait, but the Milwaukee Brewers will return to the field on Friday night at American Family Field and try to take an early lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. Jacob Misiorowski will toe the rubber for Milwaukee, while Nick Martinez will be the guy for the Rays in Game 1. Both of these two teams are chasing franchise history. Neither have won a World Series title before and one of these teams will change that.

For it to be the Brewers, they need to continue to play their game. Milwaukee has been the best team in baseball this year. Now, it's four wins away from history. Here are three keys to a Brewers World Series win.

No. 3: Christian Yelich

Yelich arguably is the most important player in Brewers history. He's the captain of the Brewers for a reason. His play on the field has been great throughout his run in Milwaukee. But what he does behind the scenes and in the clubhouse outweighs it. Yelich is the motor that keeps the Brewers running. He's been awesome in the playoffs so far. He's slashing .292/.370/.333 with a .704 OPS, three RBIs, two stolen bases and one double in seven games. If he keeps playing like that, it will be great.

But, again, more important is going to be his leadership throughout this series. It's winner-take-all. Both of these teams are chasing history. This team follows Yelich. There are going to be a lot of emotions on Friday night and energy. The club will follow Yelich's lead and he needs to keep the club all rowing in the same direction.

No. 2: Jacob Misiorowski/Logan Henderson

Misiorowski and Henderson are the Brewers' Game 1 and Game 2 starters. If the series goes long, you'll see them twice each, if necessary. Misiorowski finished the regular season with a 16-5 record and Henderson finished the season with an 11-3 record. That's a combined 27-8. In a perfect world, the Brewers will sweep, like they did against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But Milwaukee needs these guys to thrive in order to do so. After these two, Milwaukee has Robert Gasser and then Game 4 will be up in the air. If the Brewers can get a 2-0 cushion with Misiorowski and Henderson, they'll set themselves up to be just fine.

No. 1: The Bullpen Needs To Keep Shining

The Brewers' bullpen has the second-best ERA in the playoffs so far at 1.33 in 40 2/3 innings pitched. Technically, the New York Yankees' bullpen has a better ERA in the playoffs, but in just 15 2/3 innings pitched. The Brewers have relied heavily on the bullpen this postseason and it has delivered. Milwaukee needs that to remain the case to get past the Rays.