The Guardians walked into Tropicana Field carrying the edge of a survivor, then turned a two-run hole into a 7-3 Game 1 win over the Rays on Monday night. Cleveland owns a 1-0 lead in the American League Championship Series, three victories from the World Series, after piling up seven runs across the final four innings.
A late charge changes the opener
Tampa Bay held a 2-0 advantage through five innings behind Drew Rasmussen, whose club had won each of his previous 13 starts dating to July 21. The Guardians did not stay quiet for long.
- Chase DeLauter put Cleveland on the board in the sixth, driving an opposite-field home run to left.
- Patrick Bailey opened the seventh by tying the game with a 436-foot homer, ending Rasmussen’s night.
- José Ramírez and DeLauter started the eighth by reaching base, setting up Nathaniel Lowe’s two-run single to center against Ian Seymour for a 4-2 Cleveland lead.
- Jo Adell added breathing room with a double in the ninth, helping send the Guardians to the 7-3 final.
The hit from Lowe drew a noticeable roar from the Cleveland supporters who made the trip to St. Petersburg. The Guardians finished with 14 hits, tied for the fourth-highest total in a nine-inning postseason game in franchise history.
“The big swings from Patty and Chase really got it going,” Adell said.
Ramírez creates another opening
Ramírez’s impact went beyond the box score in the eighth. Taking a notably long lead from second, he caught the attention of Rays right-hander Kevin Kelly, who gave the Cleveland third baseman a prolonged look before beginning his motion.
Ramírez broke for third as Kelly delivered. Rays third baseman Junior Caminero moved toward the bag, anticipating a possible throw from catcher Liam Hicks. Adell then hit a grounder through the spot Caminero had just vacated.
Ramírez scored on the sequence, while DeLauter came all the way around from first on Adell’s double.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Ramírez has a familiar way of changing an inning once he reaches base.
“That’s Hosey,” Vogt said. “He has a feel for getting on base, and once he does, he finds ways to make something happen.”
The comeback club keeps rolling
Cleveland’s offense looked muted at the start of this postseason, scoring only three runs over its first two games. Since then, the Guardians have put up 30 runs in five contests, including nine-run performances in Games 3 and 4 of the American League Division Series against Chicago.
The club had already erased a 2-0 ALDS deficit by winning three elimination games in a row. That run also followed Cleveland’s regular-season push past the White Sox for the AL Central crown.
The Guardians now have four straight postseason wins, matching the second-longest October winning streak in franchise history. Only the six-game run that opened Cleveland’s 2016 postseason was longer.
Lowe said the early ALDS loss, a 3-0 defeat, served as a needed correction for an offense that had been pressing and making poor swing decisions.
“It is good to see balls drop, guys square them up and put together strong at-bats,” Lowe said. “In the first two games against the White Sox, we got beat. Maybe we were trying to do too much, maybe we just weren’t feeling it. We had to get our backs against the wall and respond, and this group did that.”
DeLauter said the club’s confidence has carried from one pressure spot to the next.
“That’s who the Guardians are,” DeLauter said. “Last week, today, any day, the feeling in the room has stayed the same. We know what we’re capable of.”
A different message for the ALCS
With the Rays ahead in the series no longer looming and the ALDS comeback behind them, Vogt urged his players to treat this round as an opportunity rather than another emergency.
“It is no longer about saying we have to do this,” Vogt said. “We get to play in the ALCS. Go enjoy it, and go take control of the series right away.”
The Rays showed their own varied offense in the opener, but Cleveland answered with power, timely singles, aggressive baserunning and a late rally. Adell said that resilience has become part of the club’s identity.
“We’re gritty,” Adell said. “Finding a way has been in our DNA, and we don’t believe we’re out of a game. We trust the pitchers we run out there every night. They have been more than elite, and that makes this special.”
