Oregon Alumni in the 2026 World Series
The Tampa Bay Rays are in the Fall Classic, and they brought two Oregon Ducks along for the ride.
Outfielder Jonny DeLuca and left-handed reliever Garrett Cleavinger both made Tampa Bay's finalized World Series roster — a notable double-Duck moment on baseball's biggest stage. But it was DeLuca who ended up in the spotlight after Game 1, even if not in the way he would have wanted.
Game 1: DeLuca at the Plate, Season on the Line
The Brewers survived a ninth-inning gut-punch in Game 1, holding on for a 3-2 win over the Rays in Milwaukee — and the final out belonged to DeLuca.
With runners on second and third, the Rays trailing by one, and the tying run 90 feet away, Milwaukee closer Trevor Megill struck out DeLuca to strand both runners and end the threat. It was the kind of at-bat that will live in Rays fans' memories regardless of how this series ends: the game hung in the balance, Eugene's most prominent big-league export was at the dish, and the Brewers escaped.
DeLuca entered the series riding a productive postseason. In the ALCS against Cleveland, he drove in a run in Game 5 — part of a 3-1 Rays win that gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 series lead — and also contributed an RBI and a walk in an earlier game. His postseason batting average has fluctuated as the competition stiffened, sitting at .176 through Game 1 of the World Series, but his presence in high-leverage situations reflects the trust the Rays have placed in him.
Cleavinger Makes the Roster, Sees Action
Cleavinger's path to the World Series came with a last-minute subplot. The southpaw reliever secured his spot on the Rays' World Series roster after the club cut Brody Hopkins to finalize the 26-man group. It was a meaningful selection — postseason rosters are zero-sum, and someone had to give way.
In Game 1, Cleavinger was used in a short-stint role, logging 0.2 innings in the Rays' 3-2 loss. The appearance kept him stretched and ready as the series shifts — a bullpen piece in a tight, low-scoring Fall Classic shapes up to be anything but a spectator.
The Bigger Picture
Two Ducks on one World Series roster is a rare enough occurrence to warrant the attention. DeLuca and Cleavinger represent different threads of Oregon's baseball pipeline — one an everyday outfielder entrusted with postseason at-bats, the other a specialist carved into a bullpen role — but both are here because they earned it.
With the series knotted after Game 1 goes to Milwaukee, the Rays will need contributions from every corner of their roster. Whether that includes another DeLuca moment in the middle of a rally, or a Cleavinger inning holding a slim lead, the Ducks aren't done writing their October chapter.
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