A year after the Dodgers defended their World Series crown, baseball is waiting for a different champion. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays have reached the 2026 Fall Classic, giving fans a fresh reason to pull on their team colors. At I Heart Socks, we love the part of October when an everyday outfit becomes a declaration of loyalty.
How the 2025 championship was won
Los Angeles won the 2025 World Series four games to three against Toronto. The Blue Jays struck first with an 11–4 victory, but the Dodgers answered 5–1 in Game 2. Los Angeles then took Game 3 by a 6–5 score before Toronto won the next two games, 6–2 and 6–1. That left the defending champions needing consecutive road wins to keep their title.
They delivered. A 3–1 win in Game 6 sent the championship to a deciding game at Rogers Centre, where the Dodgers prevailed 5–4. The result completed another title run for Los Angeles after its 2024 championship. For Toronto, it was a painful finish to a series in which the trophy had come within reach. For everyone watching, it was a reminder that an advantage in October remains unfinished business until the last out.
A new season changed the standings
The 2026 regular season produced a different balance of power. Milwaukee finished 103–59, improving on its 97–65 record from 2025. Tampa Bay made an even larger jump, moving from 77–85 to 98–64. Both clubs finished first in their divisions and first in their respective leagues. Their World Series meeting grew out of sustained regular-season success, rather than a brief late-season surge.
The previous finalists experienced very different follow-up seasons. The Dodgers won 100 games in 2026, seven more than in their championship regular season. Toronto went from 94 wins in 2025 to 79 in 2026. Those numbers help explain why repeating a World Series matchup is never automatic. Even a strong returning contender must negotiate a new schedule, a new field of opponents and another demanding postseason.
Milwaukee went through the defending champions
The Brewers opened their postseason against San Diego. They won the first two games 3–2 and 4–3, dropped Game 3 by a 4–3 score, then closed out the Division Series with a 3–1 victory. Three one-run games in four meetings made that round a useful introduction to the narrow margins Milwaukee would encounter again.
Then came the Dodgers. Milwaukee won the National League Championship Series in four games, with scores of 2–1, 7–4, 6–2 and 6–4. The sweep removed the defending champions and gave the Brewers the National League pennant. It also connected this October directly to the previous one. The team that had owned the trophy was stopped by the team now trying to claim it.
Tampa Bay earned the other place
The Rays swept the Yankees in the American League Division Series, winning 1–0, 5–2 and 4–3. Their next round required a different kind of response. Cleveland won the ALCS opener, and the Guardians later led the series two games to one. Tampa Bay answered with three straight victories, taking the final three games 7–3, 3–1 and 7–3.
That route matters when assessing the current matchup. Tampa Bay has already recovered from a series deficit this postseason. Milwaukee has already handled tight games and a powerful defending champion. Neither finalist reached this point by avoiding difficult opponents. Each built a record of finding a way through them.
Two games have set the next chapter
Milwaukee won the World Series opener 3–2 on October 23 and followed it with a 5–4 comeback on October 24. The Brewers therefore lead the best-of-seven series 2–0 as of October 25. Game 3 is scheduled for Monday, October 26, at Tropicana Field, with first pitch at 8 p.m. Eastern, or 5 p.m. Pacific. The next result is still to be written.
Bring your team into game night
Following a season is also about the routines that make it yours. The same seat, the same group chat and the same team colors can connect an ordinary evening to a memorable October. Team socks fit naturally into that ritual, whether you are watching in jeans, keeping things casual at home or choosing a gift for the baseball fan who always follows the score.
At I Heart Socks, start with the team you support and build your game-day look from there. A pair in your team’s colors can keep that connection going after the final out, too. This World Series will eventually become a result in the record book. For Brewers and Rays fans living through it, the experience is still unfolding, one game and one outfit at a time.
Shop your World Series team socks
Milwaukee Brewers 4 Stripe Deuce socks
Officially licensed MLB socks with Adult and Youth size options.
Tampa Bay Rays 4 Stripe Deuce socks
Officially licensed MLB socks with Adult and Youth size options.
Results and schedule checked October 25, 2026 using official MLB results. Read MLB’s Game 1 report and Game 2 report.
