Rasmussen’s seven strong innings push Rays within one win of World Series with 3-1 victory over Guardians

The Tampa Bay Rays moved within one win of the World Series on Sunday, beating the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series behind seven strong innings from right-hander Drew Rasmussen at Progressive Field.

The victory gave Tampa Bay a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series and sent the Rays home with a chance to clinch the pennant in Game 6 on Monday night at Tropicana Field. Rasmussen set the tone, allowing one run on four hits over seven innings. He threw 95 pitches, 69 for strikes, faced 25 batters and generated 11 ground-ball outs against just one fly-ball out.

Tampa Bay paired that outing with quick offense and clean defense. The Rays scored once in each of the first three innings, and MLB’s recap of the game pointed to the work of shortstop Taylor Walls and second baseman Ben Williamson as a major defensive factor behind the win. Rasmussen’s performance also added to an already notable October run: MLB said he is the first pitcher in Rays history with multiple postseason starts of at least seven innings while allowing one or fewer runs.

The Rays finished with 11 hits and got production throughout the lineup. Yandy Díaz went 2-for-4 and drove in a run with a double. Jonathan Aranda added an RBI single, and Liam Hicks also delivered an RBI single. Tampa Bay did not commit an error and controlled the game even without a late offensive surge, doing enough behind Rasmussen to take command of the series.

Cleveland managed only five hits and scored its lone run in the sixth inning. Guardians starter Parker Messick lasted two innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts. The Guardians kept the deficit manageable after his early exit, but they could not do enough against Rasmussen or solve Tampa Bay’s defense and now face elimination.

After Rasmussen exited, Tampa Bay turned to its bullpen briefly. Cam Booser recorded two outs in relief, and Tyler Wells got the final out to close it down.

Game 6 is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Monday at Tropicana Field, where the Rays will try to finish off the series and secure the American League pennant on their home field. Cleveland, meanwhile, must win to force a decisive Game 7.

The stakes now are straightforward for Tampa Bay. The franchise has reached the World Series twice before, in 2008 and 2020, but has never won a championship. One more victory would send the Rays back for a third trip to the Fall Classic, where the AL champion will face the Milwaukee Brewers, who have already clinched the National League pennant. If Tampa Bay advances, the World Series would match two franchises still seeking their first title.