The Tampa Bay Rays are one win from the World Series.
They’ll try to close out the American League Championship Series on Monday night at Tropicana Field against the Cleveland Guardians, who now have to stare down elimination after Tampa Bay’s 3-1 win in Game 5 on Sunday pushed the Rays ahead 3-2 in the series. First pitch is set for 8:08 p.m., and if Cleveland forces a Game 7, the series will return Tuesday night.
Tampa Bay is aiming for its third American League pennant and its first World Series appearance since 2020. Waiting on the other side is the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
Freddy Peralta gets the Game 6 start for the Rays. He’s been central to Tampa Bay’s late-season surge and already carved through Cleveland once in this series, throwing six scoreless innings in Game 2.
The Guardians are expected to go with a bullpen game, with right-hander Slade Cecconi among the possible arms to begin the night.
The Rays got here on the back of a strong Game 5 effort, with Drew Rasmussen allowing one run over seven innings. Yandy Díaz collected three hits, and Jonny DeLuca, Jonathan Aranda and Liam Hicks each drove in a run.
For fans heading to the ballpark, gates at Tropicana Field open at 5 p.m. Team officials are requiring prepaid parking for all stadium lots, and fans are being urged to plan ahead for a busy night.
Ticket availability and parking can be checked through the Rays’ official postseason page, and if the stadium lots fill up, the team is pointing fans toward overflow parking in downtown St. Petersburg.
Those watching from home can find the game on TBS or truTV, with streaming available on HBO Max.
Across from the stadium, Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill at 1320 Central Ave. is hosting a watch party with the game on its Jumbotron. Other downtown St. Pete sports bars are also expected to have options, though fans should check with individual venues for game-day plans and availability.
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For Tampa Bay, the reminder is less about payroll than about roster construction and how thin the margin can be when so much of the group comes from outside the system. Free agency has barely mattered for either clubs core, but the Rays path has been especially dependent on identifying the right pieces and fitting them together quickly. The unresolved question is whether that model can keep producing October-caliber teams when the talent pipeline looks different from Milwaukees and the margin for error stays so small. [Read more 🡒]