The Guardians opened the ALCS with exactly the kind of night they needed, rolling past the Rays 7-3 on Monday to take Game 1 in Tampa Bay. The offense found its rhythm late, the pitching staff kept the Rays from ever fully breaking through, and Cleveland never had to burn through its arms in a game that could set the tone for the rest of the series.
But the biggest individual performance belonged to Chase DeLauter.
DeLauter finished 3-for-4 with a walk and fell a triple short of the cycle, and the production came at the right moments. His solo homer in the sixth inning started the Guardians’ push, trimming into the Rays’ lead and against Drew Rasmussen, and his walk in the ninth eventually turned into another run that added some cushion.
Chase DeLauter gets a run back for the Guardians! pic.twitter.com/dtYgH6QdbB
- MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026
For DeLauter, it was the kind of night that felt overdue. He entered professional baseball with plenty of promise, and the numbers from his minor league track record backed that up: a .302/.384/.504 line with a BB/K ratio of almost 1:1. The problem, as has so often been the case, was staying on the field.
He spent three complete seasons in the minors and appeared in only 138 games. Last year, he played 42 minor league games before joining the postseason roster for the Wild Card round.
This season brought another early setback with a minor injury in spring training, plus an IL stint in June. On Monday, though, all of that history sat in the background while he delivered the kind of game that matched the hype.
The Rays seemed to acknowledge that too. In the ninth inning, they chose to pitch to José Ramírez instead of putting him on intentionally to get to DeLauter.
That decision ended with both hitters reaching and scoring in a classic “pick your poison” moment. It was also a strong measure of the respect DeLauter now commands in the box.
Cleveland also made life hard on Rasmussen overall, piling up 14 hits to go with the seven runs. He allowed only two runs himself, but the Guardians kept stringing together quality at-bats and found several balls that were hit hard enough to do damage, even when they didn’t fall. With Parker Messick lined up for Game 2 and Gavin Williams likely set for Game 3, that kind of offensive depth could matter quickly.
The late innings were just as important on the other side. Cade Smith worked fast in the ninth and should be available again if needed in Game 2.
The Guardians went to Tampa Bay needing to steal one, and they got the best possible version of that script. Now they head home with the chance to return to Progressive Field leading the series 2-0, sitting three wins away from their first World Series trip in a decade.
In Other News...
Guardians' Most Painful Trade Looks Even Worse After New Report
The 2021 swap that sent Junior Caminero from Cleveland to Tampa Bay has long lingered as one of the organizations toughest second guesses, and fresh reporting only adds another layer to the regret. The Guardians moved the then-rising prospect for pitcher Tobias Myers, a deal made with the hope of solving a pitching need while parting with a young hitter who was still far from the majors.
Now the sting is not just what Cleveland gave up, but how close the Rays came to asking for something else from the system before settling on Caminero. Xzavion Curry was among the minor leaguers Tampa Bay initially sought, and the fact that Caminero has developed into a top prospect while Myers and Curry have had quieter big league careers makes the trade look even harder to defend in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Schedule Change Created An Unusual MLB Playoff Ripple
MLBs postseason calendar picked up an odd little domino effect Wednesday, with the league moving Game 4 of the NLCS between the Dodgers and Brewers up an hour to 8 p.m. ET. The change did not come out of nowhere. It followed the earlier decision to shift ALCS Game 3 between the Guardians and Rays from 6 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET because of expected inclement weather, a reminder of how one playoff adjustment can ripple across the rest of the bracket.
For Cleveland fans, the practical part is simple: the team confirmed that tickets and parking passes will still work for the new start time. The bigger picture is a postseason schedule that can still bend quickly around weather, TV and the rest of the leagues needs, even as the Guardians try to stay focused on the field rather than the clock. [Read more 🡒]
Gavin Williams Is Giving Guardians Fans Another Reason To Believe
Gavin Williams has already done his share to fuel Clevelands October run, and now he is looking to add something else to the mix as the Guardians head into the next round. The young starting pitcher said he wants to be a more vocal leader as the club prepares for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, a sign of how quickly he has grown from power arm to one of the voices in the room.
Williams backed up that confidence with his latest outing, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the series-clinching win over the Chicago White Sox. Cleveland now turns to a Game 3 matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays, set for 1 PM ET Thursday after a weather-related delay from the original 6 PM start, and the Guardians will be hoping their emerging starter brings the same edge both on the mound and in the clubhouse. [Read more 🡒]