Rasmussen Deals Tampa Bay to the Brink: Rays Beat Guardians 3-1 in ALCS Game 5

Rasmussen owns October's biggest stage

CLEVELAND — The Tampa Bay Rays are one win from the World Series, and they have Drew Rasmussen to thank for it.

Rasmussen carved through the Cleveland Guardians for seven dominant innings on Sunday night, carrying a shutout into the sixth as Tampa Bay held on for a 3-1 victory in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field. The Rays seized a 3-2 series lead and now return to Tropicana Field needing just one more victory to claim the third American League pennant in franchise history — and the first World Series title the club has ever chased without having to play through October heartbreak.

The right-hander was every bit the ace Tampa Bay has built its October run around. Rasmussen allowed one run on four hits with six strikeouts and one walk, lowering his ERA to 1.29 across three postseason starts this fall. It was his first victory in seven career games at Progressive Field, and it could hardly have come at a bigger moment.

The performance was the latest chapter in what has been a dominant October for Tampa Bay's ace. The Guardians managed just one hit through the first five innings — a two-out single by Chase DeLauter in the first — before Steven Kwan singled in the sixth and scored on DeLauter's groundout to cut the deficit to 3-1.

That was all Cleveland would manage. Cam Booser and Tyler Wells worked a scoreless eighth, and closer Bryan Baker pitched the ninth for his fifth save in as many postseason opportunities, stranding the potential tying run. The Rays' staff combined for a five-hitter, and Baker retired Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe and Travis Bazzana in order after walking DeLauter to open the ninth.

Small-ball offense strikes early

Tampa Bay never trailed. The Rays scored one run in each of the first three innings, manufacturing offense with the kind of relentless leadoff pressure that has defined their playoff run.

Yandy Díaz, who finished with three hits and a run, scored the game's first run in the opening frame when Parker Messick walked Jonny DeLuca with the bases loaded and two outs. In the second, Jonathan Aranda's RBI single plated Ben Williamson. An inning later, Chandler Simpson doubled, stole third, and came home on Liam Hicks' RBI single off reliever Tim Herrin.

"I think the big thing was just being relaxed," Aranda told reporters before the game, describing the shift in Tampa Bay's clubhouse after the first few games of the series. "I could sense a little bit of just trying to force things a little bit in the first few games. And you guys have seen us all year. That's not the type of players that we are."

Relaxed or not, the Rays' approach was surgical: the leadoff hitter scored in all three innings against Messick and Herrin, building a cushion Rasmussen never came close to surrendering.

Simpson, Aranda and Hicks each had two hits, and Taylor Walls was thrown out at home by Kwan's laser throw from left field in the fourth — a preview of the defensive clinic the Guardians outfielder would put on all night.

Messick's night ends in two innings

For Cleveland, the story was the shortest start of Parker Messick's career. The left-hander, who entered 0-2 in the series, was chased after a career-low two innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks. His 57 pitches were the fewest in his 43 big-league starts.

The Guardians' offense, which had alternated wins with Tampa Bay through the first four games, could not solve Rasmussen. Cleveland's only hit in the first five frames was DeLauter's first-inning single, and the club managed just five hits total.

There were bright spots for the hosts. Kwan singled twice and made a leaping catch at the center-field wall in the ninth, robbing Victor Mesa Jr. of an extra-base hit and keeping the deficit at two. José Ramírez reached base for the 17th straight postseason game, breaking the Cleveland franchise record, and DeLauter tied the franchise record for hits in a single postseason by a rookie with 11.

But the Guardians now face the season's edge. They must win Game 6 and a potential Game 7 in St. Petersburg to keep their season alive.

What comes next

The series shifts back to Florida with no travel day after Friday's rain postponement compressed the schedule. Game 6 is set for Monday at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field, with a winner-take-all Game 7, if necessary, on Tuesday.

"We've been in situations where it becomes must-win or closer to that all year," Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana told reporters before Game 5. "We love these kind of situations. We're just excited for the opportunity today and kind of this three-game series that's here in front of us. Just gotta play our best baseball and make every pitch the focus and not the past or the future."

Awaiting the winner: the Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series to reach the Fall Classic for the first time since 1982. The Brewers, owners of baseball's best regular-season record at 103 wins, will hold home-field advantage in a World Series that begins Friday, Oct. 23.

The Rays, who began play in 1998 and last reached the Fall Classic in 2020, remain one of five MLB franchises without a World Series title. After Sunday night in Cleveland, they are 27 outs away from changing that forever.