The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays ranked 19th and 28th in payroll, yet each won more games than any other club in its league. Now the two small-budget clubs meet in a World Series built on speed, bunts and contact.

Speaking on MLB on FOX, Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter said, “If you’re an old-school baseball purist, you’re going to absolutely love this series. Both teams mirror each other, so I’m excited to watch.”

Statistics prove this point. Milwaukee won 103 games, the highest run differential in MLB at +214, while Tampa Bay won 98 games, the best record in the AL. They both received first seedings that have happened just six times since 1995.

Next, Jeter defied October tradition on MLB on FOX and stated, “I always say the best teams make it to the postseason, and the hottest team wins the World Series.”

Both the finalists refused to back off. The Brewers defeated the San Diego Padres in four games and swept thetwo-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers, while the Rays swept the New York Yankees and came back from a 2-1 deficit against the Cleveland Guardians.

Derek Jeter’s legacy is reflected in the statistics. The Brewers and Rays ranked 30th and 29th in average launch angle, respectively, and scored only 34.4 percent and 32.1 percent of their runs on home runs, two of the lowest percentages in Baseball.

The results back the approach. The Brewers finished second in MLB in runs scored while tied for second-to-last in homers, and this is the first World Series since 1964 pairing the two league leaders in hits.

That contact-first approach turns the bases into a weapon. The Brewers led MLB in average sprint speed; the Rays ranked second in bolts; and the Brewers and Rays placed first and second in bunt hits. Expect hit-and-runs and steals.

The second thing is money. The Brewers rank 19th in spending, and the Rays 28th, compared to last year’s World Series, which featured the Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays. Both teams have developed their squads through player development and smart trading.

Both teams keep the other team from scoring in different ways. The Brewers’ bullpen has posted an ERA of 1.33 so far in the playoffs this season, but the Rays rely on pitching, with right-hander Drew Rasmussen posting three runs in 21 innings and Freddy Peralta posting runs in 16 ⅔ innings.

Star power carries questions too. Misiorowski, the leading NL Cy Young contender, hasn’t reached five innings in any postseason start, while Caminero, who’s hit 42 homers in the regular season, has homered once already in October.

Finally, history plays its part as well. Neither team has a championship ring; hence, there will definitely be a new champion, and only the 1980 World Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Kansas City Royals, which went six games, matches that in the last 100 years.

But there is a shared thread between the two teams. After MLB expansion in 1998, the Brewers moved from the American League to the National League while the Rays made their debut, and both broke through in 2008 but were beaten by the Phillies.

The Brewers have waited 44 years for another shot at a title, while the Rays return after falling short in 2008 and 2020. And according to Derek Jeter, whichever team breaks through will do it with the kind of small-ball baseball that purists will cherish.

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