The Tampa Bay Rays are World Series bound.
Behind an MVP effort from starting pitcher Freddy Peralta and some hits from Richie Palacios, Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz, The Rays earned a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday.
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With the win, the Rays earned a 4-2 series victory and booked a date with the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. There, either the Rays or the Brewers will win the first World Series in their franchise’s history. The Padres, Rockies, Mariners, Rays and Brewers are the five MLB teams that have never won a title.
Freddy Peralta still keeps his promises and wins the MVP title
With a chance to secure their spot against the Brewers, the Rays turned to starter Freddy Peralta, who pitched six shutout innings in a Game 2 win that tied the series 1-1 and made a two-out relief appearance in Game 4. Peralta delivered again Monday with 5 1/3 one-run innings to pace Tampa Bay’s victory.
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It wasn’t as clean a start as his Game 2 gem, and manager Kevin Cash pulled Peralta after allowing his first run of the series on a Nathaniel Lowe RBI single in the fifth. Yet Peralta left the game with Tampa Bay holding a 3-1 lead thanks in part to a Palacios double.
Freddy Peralta earned ALCS MVP honors with his second win of the series on Monday.
(Julio Aguilar via Getty Images)
When he finished Monday, Peralta had allowed 1 earned run on 5 hits and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts on 84 pitches. And he earned his second win of the series.
It was good enough for Peralta to win ALCS MVP honors, continuing a stellar run since arriving in Tampa Bay via a mid-season trade with the New York Mets. In 16 2/3 innings this postseason, Peralta has allowed two runs.
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Palacios kicks off Tampa Bay’s scoring spree
Cleveland countered Peralta with a bullpen game, hoping to win Game 6 and hand the ball to ace Gavin Williams in Game 7. Opener Shawn Armstrong got off to a strong start, needing just seven pitches in a 1-2-3 first inning. But he was pulled in the second after allowing a leadoff single that ultimately produced a run.
With runners on second and third and two outs at second, Palacios hit a double into right-center field to give the Rays a 2-0 lead.
Tampa Bay added another run in the third on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from Jonny DeLuca.
The Guardians got one back in the top of the sixth, then Junior Caminero delivered for the Rays with a two-run homer off the left field foul pole to extend their lead to 5-1 in the seventh.
The goalkeepers put pressure in the 8th
But Tampa Bay’s victory was not yet in hand.
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The Guardians applied the pressure in the eighth, loading the bases against Tyler Wells and Ian Seymour. Seymour came out of the bullpen with runners on first and second with two outs.
He walked Travis Bazzana to load the bases. He walked Patrick Bailey to score a run. Then he hit pinch hitter Angel Martínez with a pitch to score another Guardians run. With the lead down to just two points, the previously jubilant home crowd in St. Petersburg became tense.
With that, manager Kevin Cash called Kevin Kelly out of the bullpen to put out the fire. Kelly came through with a groundout of Brayan Rocchio in the bottom of the inning to maintain Cleveland’s 5-3 advantage.
The tension at the start of the eighth prompted Díaz to restart the game late in the match.
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With a man on first and one out, he undoubtedly hit a home run into the left field bleachers to send the Tropicana Field crowd into a frenzy.
With a 7-3 lead and All-Star closer Bryan Baker expected in the ninth, the Rays and their fans could get a taste of it. And Baker delivered a 1-2-3 frame to close the game and clinch the AL pennant for Tampa Bay.
The next game is against the Brewers on Friday in Milwaukee. This means that both teams will have ample time to rest and prepare. A matchup between Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski and Rays ace Drew Rasmussen could be in store in Game 1.
Neither the Rays nor the Brewers have ever won a World Series, so we will have a first champion this year.
With only 1 earned run allowed in 12 innings pitched in the series, Freddy Peralta is the ALCS MVP. He started the wins in Games 2 and 6 and also made a relief appearance in Game 4.
DeLauter shows up, and it’s a game, a series, and a pennant. The Rays win the ALCS 4-2 and are headed to the World Series for the third time in franchise history.
The Guardians return home.
Ramirez collapses, and it’s number 2.
Bryan Baker is on the mound to try to close out this game for the Rays.
He gets a grounder from Kwan for number 1.
Yandy Diaz comes to the plate with 1 on and 1 out and throws a changeup over the fence in left field for a no-doubt home run.
The Rays have a 4 point lead again.
Hunter Gaddis is now on the mound for the Guardians, and Austin Hedges is now behind the plate.
After a flyout from Palacios, Walls drew his third walk of the game.
Kelly succeeds. He struck out Rocchio on 3 pitches, with Rocchio missing badly on a changeup for strike three, and the Rays were finally out of the eighth.
It’s 5-3 heading towards the bottom of the frame. The goalies still have 3 outs to work with.
Kevin Kelly comes in next for the Rays. He will face Brayan Rocchio with 2 outs, bases loaded and a 2 run Rays lead.
Seymour hits Angel Martinez and another point comes in.
The bases are still loaded and Kevin Cash finally eliminates Seymour. It was a disaster. He faced 3 batters and recorded no outs.
Patrick Bailey goes for a full count and gets a walk, which scores a run.
Seymour walks Bazzana on 4 pitches, and now the bases are loaded, and the tying run comes to the plate.
It’s Patrick Bailey against Seymour with 2 outs in the top of the 8th.
Adell appears, then Lowe comes out as a single.
The Keepers have 2 with 2 outs, and the Rays make a pitch change. Ian Seymour arrives to confront Travis Bazzana.
Tyler Wells is now on the mound for the Rays.
After a flyout by Jose Ramirez, Chase DeLauter beats the throw to first for an infield single.
Caminero let all the emotion out after his home run in the 7th inning.
Smith gets the next 3 beams, but the damage is done.
It was the first home run he allowed over a splitter, in fact.
Gn sports
