ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays are headed to the World Series, champions of the American League after a night this team and these fans will never forget.

It was 18 years ago on this exact date -- Oct. 19, 2008 -- when the Rays punched their ticket to their first World Series, and Monday’s 7-3 win over the Guardians in Game 6 of the ALCS is sending them back for another shot at their first title in franchise history.

The 2026 World Series will crown a first-time champion either way as the Rays face the Brewers, who swept the back-to-back defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS. The Brewers have never won the World Series since joining MLB in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots and the Rays, who joined MLB in ’98, are in the same boat. Coming off the Dodgers’ dominance, a new day will dawn.

The 2026 World Series will crown a first-time champion either way as the Rays face the Brewers, who swept the back-to-back defending champion Dodgers in the NLCS. The Brewers have never won the World Series since joining the league in 1980 and the Rays, who joined MLB in ’98, are in the same boat. Coming off the Dodgers’ dominance, a new day will dawn.

Now, the Rays will catch their breath and travel to Milwaukee for Game 1 of the World Series at American Family Field, with first pitch scheduled for Friday at 8 p.m. ET. By then, the Brewers will have been off for eight days, going back to their NLCS clinch on Oct. 15.

Junior Caminero’s two-run shot off the left-field foul pole in the seventh inning is an instant classic, the type of moment that will stick with the young superstar for years. Tropicana Field hasn’t been that loud since the Rays’ run in 2008, and Caminero is not just one of the best hitters on the planet, he is a showman, an entertainer, the face of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Stopping in front of first base, Caminero stood and turned to his dugout, the stadium shaking around him. He rounded the bases as his teammates spilled onto the field, and then, just inches before crossing home plate, he stopped again. Pointing to the fans behind home plate, Caminero stood and crossed his arms, hitting the trademark pose of former Rays great Randy Arozarena, who was there in the stands.

You can’t script these moments.

Caminero brought the house down, but Richie Palacios lit it on fire in the second inning with a two-run double that’s going to live on Rays highlight reels for years. The Rays so often wear the label of the gritty, scrappy team, and this at-bat was the very definition of it.