The Tampa Bay Rays are going back to the World Series. The Rays closed out the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night at Tropicana Field, taking the series 4-2 and setting up a Fall Classic date with the Milwaukee Brewers.
It is Tampa Bay’s first World Series appearance since 2020 and guarantees baseball will crown a first-time champion, with neither the Rays nor the Brewers having ever won the title.
Caminero Breaks Through When It Matters
Junior Caminero finally delivered his first postseason home run, a two-run shot in the bottom of the seventh inning that extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 5-1 and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.
Yandy Diaz followed with a two-run homer of his own in the eighth for crucial insurance after Cleveland had started to rally. Richie Palacios got the scoring started with a two-out, two-strike, two-RBI double in the second, and Jonny Deluca added a sacrifice fly in the third.
Rays Win Three Straight Under Pressure
Tampa Bay trailed the series 2-1 before ripping off three consecutive wins to close it out. The Rays swept the Yankees in the ALDS, then weathered a rain postponement and a Guardians fightback to reach the pennant.
Pitcher Freddy Peralta supplied 5 1/3 innings of one-run baseball in Game 6 and finished the series as its Most Valuable Player. Reliever Bryan Baker retired the final three Guardians in order to officially punch the ticket.
Brewers Await in the Fall Classic
The World Series begins Friday, October 23, at American Family Field, where the 103-win Brewers — fresh off beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS — hold home-field advantage. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern on FOX.
The Rays have been baseball’s model of efficiency for years without the ultimate prize. Now, against a Milwaukee team chasing its own first ring, Tampa Bay gets its best shot yet at making history.
