The last World Series in which both participants were seeking their first championship took place in 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in six games. With the National League champions Milwaukee Brewers patiently awaiting their opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays have a chance to make the 2026 World Series the eighth such matchup in history.
The Rays attempt to reach the Fall Classic for the third time in franchise history when they host the Cleveland Guardians at 8 p.m. ET on Monday for Game 6 of the 2026 ALCS at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Tampa Bay fell behind 2-1 in the series but followed a rainout on Friday with 7-3 and 3-1 triumphs to push Cleveland to the brink of elimination.
Freddy Peralta looks to help lead the Rays to a showdown with Milwaukee in a clash between two of the five major league teams that have yet to win a World Series title when he takes the mound Monday. The 30-year-old Dominican right-hander, who spent the first eight years of his career with the Brewers, earned the victory in Game 2 of the ALCS as he scattered four hits over six scoreless innings and also recorded the final two outs of the sixth inning in Tampa Bay's Game 4 triumph.
With their backs against the wall, the Guardians likely will use an abundance of pitchers in Game 6, beginning with reliever Shawn Armstrong. The 36-year-old righty will be throwing for the third consecutive day as he opened Game 4 on Saturday with a scoreless inning and worked 1 1/3 frames out of the bullpen in Sunday's Game 5 without allowing a run.
Cleveland has not won the World Series since 1948, losing each of its last four appearances. It last reached the Fall Classic in 2016, when the Chicago Cubs won a seven-game thriller to end their 108-year championship drought. The Brewers, who swept the two-time reigning champions Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS, were beaten by the St. Louis Cardinals in their only previous trip to the World Series in 1982 while representing the AL.
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Week 6 of the 2026 NFL season concludes when the Washington Commanders (1-3-1) visit the San Francisco 49ers (5-0) at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday Night Football at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Cal. The Commanders are coming off a 27-27 tie with the New York Giants in which they squandered a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, while the 49ers are looking to remain one of the league's three undefeated teams. San Francisco, which is 3-0 at home this year, has won seven of its last nine meetings with Washington.
There are four games on Monday's NHL schedule, including a matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins (3-5-1) and Utah Mammoth (6-3-0) at 9 p.m. ET at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Pittsburgh lost the first three contests of its four-game road trip and has gone 0-4-1 in its last five away games. The Mammoth are hoping to bounce back from their first home loss of the season, a 6-2 setback against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday.
Another team attempting to end a three-game slide on Monday is the Toronto Maple Leafs (3-4-2), who host the San Jose Sharks (4-3-1) at 7:30 p.m. ET at Scotiabank Arena. The Maple Leafs allowed a total of nine goals in losing the first two contests on their three-game homestand. San Jose has gone to a shootout in each of the first two outings of their six-game road trip, defeating the Nashville Predators before losing to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Rays are -155 favorites against the Guardians in the latest consensus MLB betting odds, and the 49ers are 7.5-point favorites over the Commanders on Monday Night Football. The Mammoth are -188 sports betting favorites against the Penguins and the Maple Leafs are -134 favorites to beat the Sharks.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Monday, Oct. 19. All times Eastern
MLB best bets, where to watch
Guardians at Rays
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: St. Petersburg, Fla. | TV: TBS| Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Rays ML (-155) | Expert: Under 6.5 (-105, Adam Thompson)
The Rays are in the driver's seat in the ALCS as they return home for the final two games with a 3-2 series lead. Tampa Bay shared the best home record in the majors this year with Milwaukee (55-26) and is 4-1 at Tropicana Field this postseason. Including the regular season, the Rays also are 4-1 at home against Cleveland, and the SportsLine Projection Model believes they'll continue that dominance as Tampa Bay wins Game 6 in 66% of its simulations. The Rays and Guardians have combined for more than five runs in only two of the first five games of the series, and SportsLine expert Adam Thompson (52-24, +2195 on his last 76 MLB picks) likes Game 6 to also be a low-scoring affair.
NFL best bets, where to watch
Commanders at 49ers
Time: 8:15 p.m. | Location: Santa Clara, Cal. | TV: ABC/ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: 49ers -7.5 (-105) | Expert: Rachaad White Over 2.5 receptions (+112, PropBetGuy)
Two of the 49ers' last three victories were by fewer than seven points after they began the season with back-to-back double-digit triumphs. But San Francisco won each of its last two meetings with Washington by 17 points, including a 27-10 victory in 2023. The SportsLine Projection Model is leaning toward the 49ers winning this matchup comfortably as its simulations have them covering the spread 52% of the time. The Commanders will be without running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (groin), meaning Rachaad White likely will see a good amount of action. The 27-year-old had fewer than three receptions out of the backfield in three of his first four games this season, but SportsLine props expert PropBetGuy (51-39, +592.5 on his last 90 NFL player prop picks) expects him to continue the trend of a running back making at least three catches against the 49ers, which has occurred in every game thus far this year.
NHL best bets, where to watch
Sharks at Maple Leafs
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Toronto | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Under 6.5 (+106)
The Maple Leafs have allowed at least four goals in each of their last three games, and the total has been nine in four of their past six contests. However, San Jose has been one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NHL thus far this season as it is tied with the Chicago Blackhawks for 25th with only 21 tallies over eight games. The Sharks have yet to score more than three times in a road game, and the SportsLine Projection Model doesn't see them exceeding that amount in Toronto. It also doesn't think the Maple Leafs will light it up as the Under hits in more than 57% of its simulations.
Penguins at Mammoth
Time: 9 p.m. | Location: Salt Lake City | TV: ESPN+ | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Penguins +1.5 (-158) | Expert: Mammoth ML (-182, Matt Severance)
The Penguins showed fight in the opener of their four-game road trip as they erased a two-goal deficit against the Chicago Blackhawks before allowing a pair of late third-period tallies in a 5-3 defeat. They scored the first two goals in their next game but surrendered the final five en route to a loss to the Colorado Avalanche and never were close in a 6-2 setback against the Vegas Golden Knights. However, each of Pittsburgh's last three meetings with Utah were one-goal affairs, and the SportsLine Projection Model expects another close battle Monday as its simulations have the Penguins covering the puck line 75% of the time. But SportsLine expert Matt Severance (13-5, +939.5 on his last 18 NHL money-line picks) feels Pittsburgh's road trip will end with another loss as he is backing the Mammoth, who possess one of the top offenses in the league (seventh, 33 goals).
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