Rays beat Guardians in Game 6 to set World Series meeting with Brewers
Tampa Bay won the American League Championship Series 4-2 and will open the World Series in Milwaukee on October 23.
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday, October 19, winning the series 4-2 and advancing to face the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, October 23, in Milwaukee.
How the Rays clinched the AL pennant
The win completed Tampa Bay’s comeback from a 2-1 series deficit. The Rays won Games 4 and 5 to take the lead before clinching the pennant on Monday. Our earlier coverage of the Rays’ Game 5 win left them one victory from the World Series; Game 6 secured that place.
Richie Palacios drove in two runs with a second-inning double, and Jonny DeLuca’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0 in the third, NBC News reported. Cleveland got a run back in the sixth, but Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer in the seventh to restore Tampa Bay’s four-run lead.
The Guardians scored twice in the eighth to cut the lead to 5-3. Yandy Díaz answered with a two-run homer in Tampa Bay’s next at-bat, setting the final score, according to NBC News. It was the Rays’ third straight win after Cleveland had moved ahead in the series.
Brewers await in Milwaukee on October 23
The Brewers reached the World Series by sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, CBS Sports reported. Milwaukee is returning to the Series for the first time since 1982; Tampa Bay previously reached it in 2008 and 2020. Neither franchise has won the title, so their meeting will produce a first-time champion.
The matchup brings together the clubs with the best regular-season records in their leagues. Milwaukee led Major League Baseball with 103 wins, while Tampa Bay won 98, according to NBC News. The Brewers won two of their three regular-season meetings, although all three games took place during the season’s first week.
Tampa Bay’s run also came after a disruption to its home schedule. Hurricane Milton tore the roof from Tropicana Field in October 2024, and the Rays did not resume hosting games there until August after a $60 million roof renovation, NBC News reported. The pennant now sends them to Milwaukee for the scheduled opener.
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Sources and context
- Tampa Bay Rays advance to World Series, will face Milwaukee BrewersNBC News; reporting by Andrew Greif
- 2026 MLB playoff bracket: Schedule and scores as Rays advance to World Series to face BrewersCBS Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.