Guardians Rally Past Rays Late to Take ALCS Game 1 in St. Petersburg

The Cleveland Guardians overcame a two-run deficit with a five-run surge over the final two innings to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday night in St. Petersburg.

Tampa Bay struck first. With two outs in the first inning, Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca delivered consecutive RBI hits to put the Rays ahead 2-0. Starter Drew Rasmussen held that lead through five innings, striking out seven batters along the way.

Cleveland broke through in the sixth when Chase DeLauter hit an opposite-field solo home run over the right-center wall. Patrick Bailey then tied the game 2-2 to open the seventh with a solo shot down the right-field line, ending Rasmussen’s outing.

The Guardians took control in the eighth inning against relievers Tyler Wells and Ian Seymour. Jose Ramirez reached on an infield single, DeLauter doubled down the line, and Nathaniel Lowe drove in both runners with a two-run single, putting Cleveland ahead 4-2.

Tampa Bay answered immediately in the bottom of the eighth when pinch-hitter Cedric Mullins hit a solo home run off Erik Sabrowski, narrowing the gap to 4-3.

Cleveland put the game away in the ninth. With two outs, Ramirez, who finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored, singled in a run off Cole Sulser to make it 5-3. After Sulser walked DeLauter, reliever Kevin Kelly came in to face Jo Adell, a mid-season acquisition, who doubled in two runs down the third-base line to extend the lead to 7-3.

Cleveland finished with 14 hits off six different Tampa Bay pitchers, with Ramirez and DeLauter combining for six of those hits. Reliever Cade Smith closed out the game, retiring the side on just six pitches.

The Rays had entered the series fresh off a sweep of the New York Yankees. Game 2 of the ALCS is scheduled for Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.