Rays beat Guardians 3-1 in ALCS Game 5, move one win from World Series
Drew Rasmussen pitched seven innings as Tampa Bay took a 3-2 series lead. Cleveland must win Game 6 in St. Petersburg to keep its season alive.
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Sunday, October 18. Tampa Bay leads the best-of-seven series 3-2, leaving Cleveland one loss from elimination and the Rays one win from the World Series.
Game 6 is scheduled for Monday, October 19, at 8:08 p.m. Eastern at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, according to the Akron Beacon Journal. Cleveland must win there to force a seventh game; CBS Sports lists a potential Game 7 for Tuesday, October 20. The remaining games are scheduled in Tampa Bay.
Drew Rasmussen gives Rays seven innings
Rays starter Drew Rasmussen allowed one run on four hits over seven innings, walking one batter and striking out six, the Beacon Journal reported. He threw 95 pitches, 69 of them strikes. His outing gave Tampa Bay a marked advantage in the starting pitching matchup.
Cleveland starter Parker Messick lasted two innings. He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks, struck out three and threw 57 pitches, including 34 strikes, according to the Beacon Journal. Cleveland finished with one run and five hits. The loss puts the Guardians in an elimination game after they had entered Sunday with the series tied.
How Tampa Bay took the ALCS lead
The Rays reached Game 5 level with Cleveland after winning Game 4 by a 7-3 score on Saturday, October 17. In that game, Nick Martinez pitched 5⅓ innings and gave up one run and two hits, according to an Associated Press report carried by The Taipei Times. His start followed a rain postponement on Friday that pushed the game back a day.
Sunday's result changed the series from a tie to a Tampa Bay lead. The Rays can now clinch the American League pennant with a Game 6 victory; Cleveland needs two consecutive wins in St. Petersburg to advance. The winner will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, CBS Sports reported.
Milwaukee is headed to the World Series for the first time since 1982. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, October 23, giving the ALCS winner a place in a matchup already set on the National League side.
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Sources and context
- Cleveland Guardians vs Tampa Bay Rays ALCS Game 5 instant reactionsAkron Beacon Journal, by Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich; carried by Yahoo Sports
- Tampa Bay Rays even series against GuardiansThe Taipei Times; AP report
- 2026 MLB playoff bracket: Schedule and scores as Rays take ALCS lead, Guardians facing elimination in Game 6CBS Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.