The Black Baseball Mixtape

Cheats is joined by former MLB outfielder Lewis Brinson and current professional player Justin Wylie to wrap up the 2026 MLB postseason. The Brewers were the best team in baseball. The Rays proved that small markets can slay giants (and the Yankees). From Jo Adell to Michael Harris to Chandler Simpson, Black baseball players made a real impact this postseason.Cheats quarterbacks it all. Enjoy this very special episode.Lewis Brinson IG: @LewisBrins25Justin Wylie IG: @JdubsjuiceboxCheats IG: @BlackBaseballMixtape

They were down to their last three outs. It was the 12th inning. The Brewers had the lead and the momentum. It didn’t matter. The Rays met the moment and scored two in the bottom of the 12th to survive for at least one more day.The attendance at the Trop was listed at 40,514; I’m thinking 40% of them were Brewers fans. And those fans were elated after 22-year-old Copper Pratt hit what we all thought was the go-ahead, championship-winning homer in the top of the 12th. Pratt had four hits in the game, the first 22-year-old to have four hits in the World Series since the day before; that’s right, Jackson Chourio collected four hits the night before, but it is still very rare.Brewers’ Skipper Pat Murphy started Dustin May in Game 4 with the idea of throwing a bullpen game. He turned to the pen in the fourth and rolled Romero, Uribe, Hall, Megill, and Ashby to the 12th. In the 12th, he turned to Antonio Senzatela and Shane Drohan. It did not end well. Caminero reached first on a lead-off error. The Rays tied the game on a Johnny DeLuca single, and then walked the game off on a Ben Williamson pinch-hit single.Chandler Simpson had a big day: 3 for 5, 1 RBI, and a stellar catch against the wall in the 12th. Simpson is becoming a Black Baseball Mixtape breakout star this postseason.Kevin Cash made it clear that their big three: Diaz, Aranda, and Caminero, have to get going if the Rays have a shot at a comeback.Tonight, the Brewers will start their ace, Jacob Misiorowski, on his normal rest. Would you consider this game a must-win game for the Brew Crew?

I can already hear Mixtape Senior Contributor Flobo Boyce yelling, “I told you so, Cheats!” And the truth is, he did. The Brew Crew is one win away from not just their first World Series Championship, but also a truly dominant MLB season that has honestly flown way too far under the radar for them to be this good.The Brewers destroyed the Rays 10-1 in a must-win game for the Rays. They sealed the victory in the 5th inning with a two-out, seven-hit, eight-run rally that really ended any hope for the Rays to win the game - and maybe the series.The Brewers’ starter Robert Gasser pitched six shutout innings, lowering his postseason ERA to 0.60 over 15 innings. His teammates call him Bobby Gas, and he has been in rare form all postseason. Gasser, 27, a 2021 second-round draft pick from the University of Houston, was 5-5 in the regular season, but has elevated every phase of his game in the postseason. Last night, he became the first lefty to face the minimum over at least six innings of a World Series since Sandy Koufax in 1965.Jackson Chourio had another tremendous game. He paced the Brewers with four hits, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB. The 22-year-old Venezuelan is batting 286/308/429 this postseason with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs.In closing, I have to give a nod to the Brewers fans. They showed up and showed out at the Trop. The TV broadcast said it was cheaper to fly to Florida, get a hotel, and buy a ticket at the Trop than to go to American Family Field. If that is true, that is unbelievable, but given the number of Brewers fans at the game, I wouldn’t doubt it.Game 4 is tonight at the Trop. Will this be the end of a magical season for Milwaukee?

Fastball Freddy Peralta gets the ball tonight in Tampa, and don’t get it twisted, this is a must-win game for the Rays. It’s not just that the Rays are in a two-game hole to the Brewers; it’s more about how they lost Game 2. The Rays were up 4-0 after the first inning with their ace on the hill, and the Brewers just chipped away until they took the lead and won the game. The Rays can’t hit the Brewers bullpen, and that is a major problem for them. To the Brewers’ credit, they are winning games by creating the action. They are dictating the pace of the World Series because they are putting pressure on the Rays’ defense every chance they get. The Brewers are using their never-say-die competitiveness to win games in which they fall behind. They have mind control over Debo.On the other hand, the Rays are showing cracks in the mentality. In Game 2, Junior Caminero was showing his passion in the dugout by laying into the team. This may have been motivational, but it’s definitely different from the Rays’ carefree attitude leading up to the World Series. I think that’s a problem.On this episode of Finish Your Breakfast, Joshua Palacios joins the show, Flobo and Elijah Flewellen return, and we talk Game 3 for the masses.

There were no real surprises in Game 1 of the World Series. The Brewers and Rays are known for their version of small ball: timely hitting, amazing defense, and a strong bullpen — especially in Milwaukee. All of that was on display in Game 1. The Brewers got timely hitting from William Contreras and Jackson Chourio. They got amazing defense from David Hamilton at third base, and a stellar game from Contreras behind the plate. The Brewers bullpen locked down the Rays, despite a threat in the top of the 9th, and they won a very intense 3-2 game. The Rays were basically one swing away from a win all game, but that swing didn’t come.The vibe at American Family Field was excellent. From the ceremonial first pitch delivered by Robin Yout in a Bob Ucker jersey, to the final out of the game by Brewers closer Trevor Megill, the game was a true thriller.Yelich, Contreras, and Chourio delivered the RBIs for the Brewers. Liam Hicks had both RBIs for the Brewers. Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski went 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3Ks. He threw several pitches over 100 mph, and his 103 mph pitch is the fastest in World Series history. The Rays’ Nick Martinez did his job: 5 IP, 2 ER, 5Ks, but it was not enough as the Brewers bullpen was rock solid.Game 2 is tonight. Start time is 8 PM EST. I still don’t believe this is a “must-win” game for the Rays, but with their ace Drew Rasmussen on the hill, they really do want this one in their win column.

What can I say — Cheats is picking the Rays, Lewis Brinson is picking the Brewers, with Jake Bauers as his player to watch, and Curtis Granderson joins Finish Your Breakfast to talk about Chandler Simpson. The big question for today is: Who You Got? Follow the Black Baseball Mixtape on Substack, IG, and Discord throughout the World Series.

They talk a big game, but they back it up. Before Game 6 of the ALCS Yandy Diaz guaranteed a Rays victory. And then in the bottom of the 8th inning, Diaz delivered a two-run blast that virtually ended the game. The Rays won the close-out game 7-3. The ALCS MVA “fastball” Freddy Peralta continued his excellent postseason. He pitched 5.1 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3Ks. The Rays were sparked by upstart second baseman Richie Palacios who delivered a two-run double in the bottom of the 2nd. Junior Caminero hit a critical two-run homer in the bottom of the 7th, that made the score 5-1 at the time. That felt like a decisive blow, before Diaz really put the game away. Rays Manager Kevin Cash called on Bryan Barker to pitch the 9th, and the rest was history. This sets up a Rays versus Brewers World Series, and guarantees a first-time World Series winner. The Series starts on Friday in Milwaukee. The Rays and the Brewers are the right World Series. They’ve been the best team in their respective leagues all year. The Rays open as a slight favorite in Vegas, but this is about as even as a matchup as you’re going to get. I can’t wait. Let me know your prediction. Finish Your Breakfast.

It was one of those special October days in Cleveland. A few hours before the Guardians took on the Rays in a pivotal Game 5, the Browns had a stunning come-from-behind victory against their AFC rival, the Baltimore Ravens. Over 36K fans filed into Progressive Field hoping the Guardians would take control of the series as it shifts back to Tampa for Game 6, and possibly 7.Despite the ambition of the Cleveland faithful, the Rays, and particularly their ace pitcher Drew Rasmussen, had other plans. Rassmussen took the ball and delivered another playoff gem; he went 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 6 Ks. The Rays got timely hitting from Jonathan Aranda and Liam Hicks, and won the game 3-1. The series now shifts back to Tampa, with the Rays one game away from the World Series.The Guardians are very tough with their back against the wall, and that is exactly the position they are in. The Rays will start Freddy Peralta on Monday night — the Guardians have not named their starter. If the Guardians need bulletin board look no further than a win guarantee from the Rays’ Yandy Diaz. “It's a great opportunity. All of us are thinking of it,” Díaz said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “But it all ends tomorrow. We're going to win tomorrow.”

For the first time in 44 years, the Milwaukee Brewers are going to the World Series. They are the first team in MLB history to be swept out of the NLCS the previous year and come back to sweep the same team the following year. The Brewers were down 4-0 after Shohei Ohtani hit his first home run of the postseason. The Dodgers faithful were hoping the 3-run blast would exorcise some of Shohei’s postseason woes and get the Dodgers back on track, but the Brew Crew had other plans. NLCS MVP Jake Bauers doubled in two runs in the fourth, and the comeback was on. In the 5th, David Hamilton, the only African American on the Brewers’ NLCS roster, hit an RBI single to cut the lead to one. After that, in the same inning, Bauers drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. Garrett Mitchell homered in the 6th, and Hamilton homered in the 9th, and the final score of the game was 6-4. Aaron Ashby got the last nine outs of the game, and before that, JoJo Romero was lights out in the fifth and sixth innings.Following the game, Dodgers veteran Miguel Rojas announced his retirement. The 13-year veteran, a native of Venezuela, appeared in 1,401 games for the Marlins and the Dodgers. He batted 260/313/363, with 61 HR and 386 RBIs—no homer or RBI bigger than his heroics in the 2025 World Series. The Dodgers were down to their last out; Rojas hit a dramatic game-tying solo home run in the 9th inning of Game 7. The Dodgers went on to win the game and secure back-to-back championships.Where do the Dodgers go from here? There’s plenty of time to discuss that. Keep following the Black Baseball Mixtape Substack, podcast, and Discord.To Cleveland: The Guardians took a 2-1 series lead, following their 3-2 win in Game 3. The big blow came off the bat of Guardians’ center fielder Petey Halpin. His go-ahead, two-run homer in the fifth put Cleveland up for good. Guardians’ ace Gavin Williams took the ball to start the game. He struck out nine over five innings. Nathaniel Lowe got the Guardians on the board in the second inning with an RBI double. The Rays only mustered three hits. Gold Glove finalist Chandler Simpson hit a two-run triple in the 4th for the Rays’ only runs.Game 4 is not a must-win for Tampa, but it’s starting to feel like it. The Rays and the Guardians take the field tonight at 8 PM EST.

Brewers star Jackson Chourio hit the first pitch of the Game 3 over the right field wall. That should have been a sign for 2026 Dodgers fans that this ain’t the same Brewers of years past. Nonetheless, the Dodgers, particularly starting pitcher Blake Snell, settled down and actually got into a groove after Chourio’s first-pitch blitz. The Dodgers took the lead in the 6th thanks to a bases-loaded double by Will Smith. But everything changed in the 7th. Jake Bauers took the 11th pitch he saw from Snell over the wall. The two-run homer gave the Brewers the lead, 3-2. Garrett Mitchell made it 4-2 on the very next at-bat, and the Brewers took Game 3 and a complete chokehold on the NLDS.There is no way around this; the Dodgers look old, tired, and injured. The postseason magic that secured back-to-back championships seems to have lost all its potency. Ohtani is banged up, Betts is struggling despite last night’s two-run double, and Will Smith has been struggling. The entire Dodgers team has struggled to hit with runners in scoring position. That is not the case for the Brewers.The Brewers got an outstanding pitching performance from starter Robert Gasser: 5 IP, 3H, 0E ER, 3K. Notwithstanding a rare tough postseason outing from Uribe, whom the Brewers have faced in every game, the bullpen continued its standard dominance.Are the Dodgers cooked? I think so, but at least one game remains in the NLCS.Joining me on today’s FYB are our good brother Flobito, and first-time guest Justin Wylie.