Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz delivered the kind of power swing that sends a club straight through October, and the Tampa Bay Rays punched their ticket to the World Series with a 7-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Monday.
Caminero and Diaz both launched two-run homers as Tampa Bay closed out the American League Championship Series in six games, winning for the third straight time to finish the job.
The Rays now head to Milwaukee for Game 1 of the World Series on Friday. The Brewers took two of three from Tampa Bay in a regular-season series played March 30-April 1.
It will be Tampa Bay’s third World Series appearance, and the franchise is still looking for its first title. The Rays lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008 and dropped a six-game World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.
Caminero set the tone early and gave the night some flair along the way. He celebrated his first career postseason homer by slapping his chest before rounding first base, then posed with his arms folded at home plate. That pose was a nod to former Tampa Bay slugger Randy Arozarena, who was in the crowd at Tropicana Field.
The Rays got on the board in the second inning when Richie Palacios, who began his career with Cleveland, drove a two-run double into the right-center-field gap. Tampa Bay kept building from there, with Caminero later scoring on Jonny DeLuca’s sacrifice fly in the third for a 3-0 lead.
Freddy Peralta (2-0) did the rest. He gave Tampa Bay 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out three. Across three ALCS appearances, including two starts, he finished 2-0 with one run allowed on nine hits in 12 innings and nine strikeouts.
Cleveland managed to keep the game moving late. Nathaniel Lowe lined an RBI single in the sixth, and in the eighth the Guardians trimmed the deficit further when Rays reliever Ian Seymour walked Patrick Bailey with the bases loaded and then hit Angel Rodriguez with his next pitch, cutting the Rays’ lead to 5-3.
Kevin Kelly came in after that and immediately stopped the momentum, striking out Brayan Rocchio on three pitches to end the inning.
Diaz answered in the bottom half with the hammer blow. After guaranteeing after Game 5 that "we're going to win tomorrow," he backed it up with a homer over the left field wall in the eighth to push Tampa Bay back out in front by four.
Cleveland opener Shawn Armstrong was chased by Caminero with a single to open the second inning, and Tim Herrin (0-1) took over before things unraveled further. Chandler Simpson reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second base, and Victor Mesa Jr. walked, setting up the Palacios double that gave Tampa Bay its first lead of the game. Herrin allowed one run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning.
Bryan Baker handled the ninth by retiring the side in order, and the Rays could finally celebrate a trip back to the Fall Classic.
In Other News...
Yandy Daz Sent A Clear Message Before The Rays Clincher
Yandy Daz was right in the middle of it again as the Rays took down the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 in Game 5 of the ALCS, a win that sent Tampa Bay to the World Series. Daz collected three hits in the clincher, helping a club that had already clawed back from a 2-1 series deficit to finish the job and punch its ticket to face the Milwaukee Brewers.
What stood out afterward was the confidence coming from one of Tampa Bays most reliable bats, even before the final step was complete. The Rays had already shown they could recover from a hole in the series, and Daz made it clear the group did not view Game 5 as the end of the line, but as the next chance to keep the run going. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Are Suddenly One Home Win From The World Series
The Rays walked out of Game 5 in control of the series, riding a fast start and a steady night on the mound to move within one more win of the World Series. Jonny DeLuca, Jonathan Aranda and Liam Hicks helped set the tone early, while Drew Rasmussen gave Tampa Bay exactly the kind of start it needed in a closeout opportunity, turning in seven innings of one-run ball before Bryan Baker handled the ninth.
Now the pressure shifts back home, where the Rays will get their next chance to finish the job in front of their own crowd. The setup is exactly what every October team wants, but it also leaves one more hurdle between Tampa Bay and a spot on the sport's biggest stage. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Head Home With One Massive Chance Still To Take
The Rays are heading back to Tropicana Field with the AL Championship Series in their hands after outlasting the Guardians 3-1 in Cleveland to move within a win of the World Series. Drew Rasmussen gave Tampa Bay exactly what it needed in Game 5, covering seven innings and allowing just one run, while the bullpen finished the job and kept the series momentum squarely on the Rays side.
Bryan Baker closed it out for his fifth save of the postseason, preserving a victory that gives Tampa Bay two chances at home to finish the job. The pressure now shifts to St. Petersburg, where the Rays can finally try to turn a strong road trip into a pennant-clinching finish. [Read more 🡒]