Rays Confirm Nick Martinez for World Series Game 1

Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash announced Thursday, October 22, that right hander Nick Martinez will start Game 1 of the World Series on Friday, October 23, against the Milwaukee Brewers [1] [2]. The opener is scheduled for 8:00 PM Eastern Time at American Family Field [1] [2]. Milwaukee will counter with Jacob Misiorowski [1]. MLB also reported the chronology before the announcement: Martinez took a Wednesday bullpen session and received the news before Thursday’s workout [1]. Martinez described the assignment directly: "It fell on me, and my job is just to rack up as many outs as we can and keep us in this ballgame." [1] His comment explains the task he has been given. It is not a statement about how many innings he will pitch. Rotation Order and Rest Decisions Cash explained that the rotation decision came down to giving Drew Rasmussen an additional day of rest [1] [3]. Martinez has the opening assignment, while the extra day is the stated reason for the choice involving Rasmussen [1] [2] [3]. The update identifies the rest consideration behind the Game 1 call without attaching a projected workload or a later appearance to Rasmussen [1] [3]. MLB reported that Freddy Peralta will start Game 3 on Monday when the series shifts to Tropicana Field [1]. That item is a separate reported designation from Martinez’s Game 1 assignment. Rasmussen is described only as receiving an extra rest day, which provides the reported reason for the Game 1 choice without identifying a later starting assignment [1] [3]. The confirmed early series facts in this update are Martinez’s opening start, the extra day for Rasmussen, and Peralta’s Game 3 start [1] [2] [3]. Martinez Regular Season Profile and Historical Splits MLB reported that Martinez posted a 3.10 ERA across 180 innings in 31 regular season starts [1]. Those figures supply the regular season context for the announced Game 1 assignment. The 3.10 ERA belongs with the full 180 inning, 31 start regular season record, while the venue figures break that completed sample into two location groups [1]. The figures describe results already recorded, not a score forecast for the opener. MLB and FOX listed a 2.38 ERA in 16 road starts and a 3.90 ERA in 15 home starts during the regular season [1] [3]. The two start totals add to his 31 regular season starts [1]. They do not divide his 180 innings into equal samples. The report supplies starts by venue, not innings by venue, so averaging the two ERA figures without their innings would not reproduce the overall ERA. The road figure is relevant background for a Milwaukee assignment, but it does not account for Friday’s opposing lineup or individual plate appearances. A season split and one scheduled game answer different questions. Bullpen Availability for the Opening Games MLB reported that Freddy Peralta and Griffin Jax are available out of the bullpen for the first two games in Milwaukee [1]. This is a report of availability for that span, alongside MLB’s separate listing of Peralta as the Game 3 starter [1]. The source does not convert that availability into a named appearance or a defined relief assignment. Availability does not mean either pitcher will be used [1]. Peralta appears in two separate MLB status items: availability for the first two games and the listed Game 3 start. Jax appears in the availability item [1]. MLB did not assign an inning, an appearance, or a specific bullpen role to either pitcher in the information cited here [1]. The report supports availability status only, not a usage plan. SBA Takeaway The useful confirmed update is the Game 1 assignment: Martinez faces Misiorowski in Milwaukee on Friday [1] [2]. Cash identified one extra day of rest for Rasmussen as the reason for that choice, and MLB listed Peralta for Game 3 at Tropicana Field on Monday [1] [3]. Martinez’s 3.10 ERA, 180 innings, and 31 starts give the starter’s regular season record. His 16 road starts and 15 home starts explain the sample behind the 2.38 road ERA and 3.90 home ERA [1]. Those values are historical regular season splits, not probabilities for the World Series opener. Peralta and Jax are available for the first two games, but the report does not state their use [1]. Sources - [1] MLB: Rays tab Martinez over Rasmussen in Game 1 - [2] Sportsnet: Rays Nick Martinez to start Game 1 of World Series - [3] FOX Sports: Nick Martinez To Start Game 1 Of World Series For Rays Related Reading - Caminero's Fastball Test Needs More Than a Home Run - Rays Take a 3 to 2 ALCS Lead Behind Rasmussen - Brewers Sweep Dodgers and Reach First World Series Since 1982