{
  "id": 16001646,
  "title": "10 things to know about the Rays before they play for their first World Series title",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/22/10-things-to-know-about-the-rays-before-they-play-for-their-first",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-22T05:03:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/10-things-to-know-about-the-rays-before-they-play-for-their-first-world-series-title-050312040.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "1. After four-and-a-half decades, the 2026 World Series is set to crown its first-ever champion. The American League champion Tampa Bay Rays could be that team.\n2. The Rays are scheduled to face the NL champion Milwaukee Brewers in the Fall Classic, marking the first time two title-less teams will meet in the World Series since 1980.\n3. Two small-market teams, the Rays and Brewers, are competing despite their lack of financial resources.\n4. The Rays, with a $90 million payroll, are the third-cheapest team in MLB, ahead of only the Guardians ($87 million) and Marlins ($76 million), while the Brewers are well ahead at $142 million.\n5. The last World Series winner with a sub-$100 million payroll was the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, which would make the Rays' victory an unprecedented rarity.\n6. The Rays have reached the World Series twice before, in 2008 and 2020, losing both times to the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.\n7. The current Rays roster is inexperienced compared to the previous championship teams. Only designated hitter Yandy Díaz was part of the 2020 team.\n8. MLB fans over 30 may remember the Rays as a laughingstock in their early years, the only team in their division to finish last in nine out of ten seasons.\n9. The turning point for the Rays occurred in 2003 when owner Stuart Sternberg met Andrew Friedman, a finance guy with a background in baseball. Friedman became the general manager and led the team to a new era of analytics.\n10. Kevin Cash, the Rays' manager, is MLB's longest-tenured manager, having taken over in 2015 after Friedman's departure triggered Joe Maddon's exit. The Rays are known for their success in implementing innovative ideas, contributing to their survival and rise to the top.",
  "summary": "The 2026 World Series is guaranteed a first-time champion. It could very well be the AL champion Rays.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}