Freddy Peralta battled through 5 1/3 tough innings, Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz each launched two-run homers, and the Tampa Bay Rays knocked off the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night to punch their ticket to the World Series for the third time in franchise history.
The Rays will now meet the Milwaukee Brewers in a matchup that pairs two teams chasing their first World Series title since 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals. Game 1 is Friday night in Milwaukee.
The loss pushed Cleveland’s championship drought to 78 years.
Tampa Bay sealed the series on the 18-year anniversary of its first AL pennant in 2008, finishing the job in front of a sellout crowd of 40,230 at Tropicana Field. The fans waved yellow-and-blue rally towels, rang cowbells and kept chanting “Let’s go Rays!” as the home team closed out the clincher with closer Bryan Baker on the mound.
Peralta gave the Rays exactly the kind of start they needed. He allowed one run and five hits and picked up his second win of the ALCS in his third appearance. He also tossed six scoreless innings to win Game 2 and got two outs in relief in Game 4.
Tampa Bay built an early lead and never really let go. In the second inning, Richie Palacios ripped a two-run double to put the Rays ahead 2-0, and they added to it in the third on Jonny DeLuca’s sacrifice fly off Joey Cantillo. The club had a chance to blow the game open after loading the bases with no outs, but it settled for the 3-0 advantage.
The Guardians kept hanging around. Nathaniel Lowe’s RBI single in the sixth got Cleveland on the board, but the Rays answered in the seventh with the swing that cracked things open. Caminero, who hit 42 homers in the regular season, connected for his first career postseason homer, sending a splitter from All-Star closer Cade Smith over the left-field foul pole for a 5-1 cushion.
It took Caminero 33 at-bats to get that first October homer, and he let the moment breathe. Before reaching first base, he turned toward the Tampa Bay dugout and pounded his chest with both arms. As he rounded second, he cupped his ear toward the crowd, then stopped before crossing the plate to point into the stands and cross his arms before finishing his trot.
Cleveland made one more push in the eighth. After two singles and a walk loaded the bases with two outs against Tyler Wells and Ian Seymour, Seymour walked Patrick Bailey to force in a run and hit Angel Martínez with a pitch to bring in another. Kevin Kelly then came on and struck out Brayan Rocchio on three changeups to end the threat with the bases still loaded.
Díaz, who had guaranteed a Game 6 win through an interpreter on Sunday, delivered the finishing blow in the bottom of the eighth. His two-run homer off Hunter Gaddis stretched the lead to 7-3 and put the game out of reach.
The night also carried extra layers around the ballpark. Tropicana Field had undergone major renovations after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof two years ago and caused extensive damage throughout the stadium.
The Rays had played their 2025 home games across the bay in Tampa at the New York Yankees’ spring training complex, then returned to the Trop to win 55 regular-season games. Only Milwaukee had as many home wins this year.
Tampa Bay got here after sweeping the Yankees in the Division Series, then dropping the first two games of this series before ripping off three straight victories to finish the comeback. One more win earlier in the week and another late surge on Monday was enough to send the Rays on to the sport’s biggest stage.
In Other News...
Guardians Turn To An Unexpected Arm In Must Win Game 6
With their backs against the wall in Game 6, the Guardians are making a less conventional call on the mound by turning to right-hander Shawn Armstrong as the opener. It is the kind of move that speaks to the urgency of the moment, especially with the series slipping and Cleveland looking for any edge it can find against a Rays club that has been getting strong pitching at the right time.
Tampa Bay brings plenty of confidence into the matchup after Drew Rasmussen followed up with another dominant postseason showing in Game 5, while Freddy Peralta is lined up to get the ball for Game 6 after settling in quickly since arriving. Cleveland, meanwhile, is still trying to rebound from Parker Messick's rough recent start, and the Guardians' choice to hand the first inning to Armstrong only adds another layer of intrigue to a game they simply cannot afford to waste. [Read more 🡒]
Parker Messick Sent A Defiant Message Guardians Fans Will Love
Parker Messicks two innings in Game 5 were only a small part of a night that left the Guardians in a tough spot, as the Rays pulled out a 3-1 win and moved within one victory of the World Series. Even so, the young pitcher did not sound rattled after the loss, and his postgame message carried the kind of edge Cleveland fans tend to appreciate when the season is hanging in the balance.
The Guardians now head to Tropicana Field needing to win both remaining games to keep their postseason run alive, a steep ask against a Rays club that has already taken control of the series. Messicks confidence after his early exit offered a reminder that the mood inside the clubhouse is still pointed toward a comeback, even with the margin for error gone. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Took A Risk With Parker Messick In The Worst Spot
The Guardians made a notable change behind the plate in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, pairing Parker Messick with Patrick Bailey instead of Austin Hedges for the first time. It was the kind of move that spoke to the moment as much as the matchup, with manager Stephen Vogt leaning on Baileys strong bat while accepting the possibility that it could alter the rhythm Messick had built with his usual catcher.
It proved to be a tough night for the rookie. Messick got through only two innings and allowed two runs, and Cleveland never quite recovered in a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. In a postseason game where every small edge matters, the Guardians took a calculated swing on catching alignment, and the result only sharpened the question of whether the risk was worth it in the biggest spot. [Read more 🡒]