Rays opt for Martinez to start World Series over ace Rasmussen

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash announced on Thursday that Nick Martinez, not staff ace Drew Rasmussen, will start Game 1 of the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Rasmussen was slated to pitch on regular rest Friday after his outing in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday, but Cash emphasized the need for an additional day of rest due to Rasmussen’s heavy workload early in the postseason.

Rasmussen has pitched at least six innings in each of his playoff appearances, allowing just three runs over a span of 21 innings.

Cash noted that Rasmussen has borne a substantial workload and that the organization has relied on him heavily, adding that they aim to extract the maximum number of pitches from him when he takes the mound.

Martinez, who had not previously started a postseason game, will be rested five days after limiting the Guardians to one run on two hits over 5⅓ innings in Game 4 of the ALCS. He will oppose Brewers fireballer Jacob Misiorowski.

Cash told Martinez he would start Game 1 on Thursday; the pitcher, who has coordinated team dinners in every road city this season, arranged a gathering at a local steakhouse the previous evening.

Martinez said, “It’s exciting. I am confident in our staff, and my role is simply to record as many outs as possible and keep us in the game.”

The 36‑year‑old right-hander, who signed a one‑year, $13 million contract with the Rays just before spring training, is approaching the conclusion of a career season in which he emerged as one of the American League’s top starters after a rocky spring‑training start.

He earned his first All‑Star selection and finished the regular season with a 3.10 ERA over a career‑high 180 innings. On the road, his ERA dropped to 2.38 across 94⅔ innings in 16 starts. In late March, he limited the Brewers to two runs in six innings during a three‑game series in Milwaukee.

That night the Rays moved to a 2‑2 record while the Brewers slipped to 3‑1 at American Family Field. Seven months later, both teams, each boasting the best regular‑season records in their leagues, will meet again for the opener, with Martinez on the mound and the World Series title at stake.

Martinez observed, “They never take a pitch off; they fight for every pitch, never give up, making for a true dogfight.”

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