Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Rasmussen carries Rays past Guardians in Game 5, putting Tampa Bay one win from World Series
Drew Rasmussen allowed one run in seven innings as the Rays won 3–1, took a 3–2 ALCS lead and sent the series back to St. Petersburg for Game 6.
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 3–1 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on October 18, moving within one win of the World Series. Drew Rasmussen allowed one run on four hits across seven innings as Tampa Bay took a 3–2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Tampa Bay scored once in each of the first three innings, then Cam Booser, Tyler Wells and Bryan Baker protected the lead. Game 6 is scheduled for October 19 at 8 p.m. ET in St. Petersburg; Cleveland must win to force a Game 7.
Rasmussen turned an early lead into a seven-inning cushion
Rasmussen carried a shutout into the sixth and finished with six strikeouts and one walk. Reuters reported that the outing lowered his postseason ERA through three starts to 1.29.
Cleveland's run came after Steven Kwan singled and scored on Chase DeLauter's groundout. The Guardians managed five hits overall, while Rasmussen's length kept Tampa Bay from leaning heavily on a bullpen that had worked through the previous games.
Three early innings produced all of Tampa Bay's runs
Yandy Díaz, Ben Williamson and Chandler Simpson led off the first three innings and each scored. Jonny DeLuca drew a bases-loaded walk in the first, Jonathan Aranda singled home Williamson in the second and Liam Hicks added an RBI single in the third.
Guardians rookie Parker Messick lasted two innings, his shortest major-league start. MLB's game report lists two runs, five hits, two walks, three strikeouts and 57 pitches against him; that result, not speculation about fatigue, is the confirmed record.
Tampa Bay returns home with two chances to advance
The Rays need one win in Game 6 or a possible Game 7 to claim the American League pennant. MLB lists Game 6 for October 19 at 8 p.m. ET in St. Petersburg, with Game 7 at the same venue if Cleveland extends the series.
A 3–2 lead is an advantage, not a clinch. Cleveland previously recovered from a 0–2 deficit in its Division Series, and the Game 5 result does not determine the next starting-lineup decisions or guarantee the ALCS outcome.
What the Game 5 numbers do and do not establish
Rasmussen became the first Rays pitcher with multiple postseason starts of at least seven innings and no more than one run allowed, according to MLB. Bryan Baker recorded his fifth save in five postseason chances, while José Ramírez reached base in a Cleveland-record 17th straight postseason game.
Those marks describe completed play through Game 5. They do not establish who will win Game 6, whether a Game 7 will be needed or how either club will arrange its pitching staff; viewers should use the current MLB schedule before watching.
