The World Series is loaded with ties to PNW and Seattle Mariners

The World Series begins Friday night in Milwaukee, and while the Seattle Mariners aren’t involved like they hoped to be, there are plenty of Seattle connections involved as the National League champion Brewers face the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays.

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If we’re going to talk about Seattle connections, we have to start with the Brewers. That’s because the franchise started in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots, who were sold and moved to Milwaukee after just one year in the American League playing home games at the ill-equipped Sicks Stadium. So yes, that means the Brewers are just four wins away from becoming the first franchise that has ever called Seattle home at any point to win the World Series.

As for players to watch during the Fall Classic, here’s a look at the local products, former Mariners and other players with Seattle connections.

Local players

• Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen

Tampa Bay’s ace was born in Puyallup and grew up in Spokane, where he graduated from Mt. Spokane High School in 2014 before pitching in college for Oregon State. The 31-year-old Rasmussen earned All-Star honors for the second straight year in 2026 and finished the regular season with a 16-5 record, 2.67 ERA, and 174 strikeouts to just 32 walks over 172 innings. His 0.91 WHIP led the American League.

Rasmussen is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 23 strikeouts to three walks over 21 innings in the playoffs, allowing just three earned runs in three starts. He’ll be matching up against his former team in the World Series, as he broke into the big leagues in 2020 with Milwaukee.

• Rays relief pitcher Cam Booser

Born in Seattle, the left-handed Booser is a product of Fife High School who had an incredible path to the big leagues. He retired from professional baseball in 2017 at the age of 25 and spent four years working as a carpenter before making a comeback, as detailed in this story by the official MILB website. He returned to the sport in 2021 with the Chicago Dogs of the independent American Association of Professional Baseball league, then signed to a minor league contract in 2022 with the Arizona Diamondbacks and made his MLB debut in 2023 with the Boston Red Sox just weeks before his 32nd birthday.

Booser, now 34, had his best MLB season to date in 2026, pitching to a 1.98 ERA and 0.76 WHIP with 45 strikeouts to just six walks over 42 appearances and 41 innings for Tampa Bay in the regular season. He’s been lights out in the postseason, allowing just one hit and one walk over 4 2/3 shutout innings in six playoff appearances for the Rays.

Former Mariners

• Brewers first baseman/outfielder Jake Bauers

In another great comeback story, the NLCS MVP with marathon plate appearances has turned his career around after years of being a regular on the waiver wire that included a 72-game stint with the Mariners in 2021.

The 31-year-old Bauers broke out by slashing .266/.389/.484 for an .874 OPS with 26 home runs, 86 RBIs and 94 walks in 144 games this season, his third with Milwaukee. He’s been just as good in the playoffs with a .269/.441/.423 slash line for an .864 OPS with a homer, six RBIs and seven walks in eight postseason games.

Prior to joining the Brewers, Bauers hit .211 with a .663 OPS over four MLB seasons with Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Seattle and the New York Yankees.

In the Mariners family

• Brewers second baseman Brice Turang

One of the Brewers’ standout players has an interesting Mariners connection, as Milwaukee second baseman Brice Turang is the son of former Mariners utility man Brian Turang.

Brian Turang played 78 games for the Mariners as an outfielder, second baseman and third baseman in 1993 and 1994, and spent all but one of his eight pro seasons in the M’s organization after being selected by Seattle in the 51st round of the 1989 MLB Draft, including stints with the Single-A Bellingham Mariners (1989) and Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers (1995).

Brice Turang hit .268 with a career-high .816 OPS, 21 home runs, 100 RBIs, 90 walks and 7.3 bWAR this year for the Brewers. He’s also one of the best defensive players in the game, as he is nominated for the National League Gold Glove at second base a year after he won both Gold Glove and Platinum Glove honors.

From the Mariners’ system

• Rays starting pitcher Freddy Peralta

Signed by Seattle in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic, Peralta was one of three prospects traded to Milwaukee for first baseman Adam Lind in 2015. Peralta was a two-time All-Star over his eight seasons with the Brewers, and now will face his old team after being traded from the New York Mets to the Rays in July.

Coaches

Mariners fans will recognize a familiar face in the Brewers dugout. Former Mariners first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach, the team’s lone All-Star in 2019, is one of Milwaukee’s hitting coaches.

The Brewers also have a member on staff from Washington state in first base coach Spencer Allen, an alum of Olympia’s Capital High School and Auburn’s Green River College.

The World Series on Seattle Sports

Catch the ESPN Radio broadcast of every game of the World Series live at 5 p.m. on the Seattle Sports app. Most of the games will also air live on Seattle Sports 710 AM, with the exceptions being Game 2 on Saturday, Oct. 24 and a potential Game 7 on Saturday, Oct. 31, due to conflicts with WSU Cougars football game broadcasts.

Seattle Mariners news and more

• Salk: 5 qualities the Seattle Mariners’ next manager needs
• Insider reports potential Mariners’ manager hire timeline
• Holding onto starting pitchers could be Seattle Mariners’ best option

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