ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 Monday night to win the American League Championship Series 4-2 and advance to the World Series.
They will face the Brewers starting Friday night in Milwaukee.
Freddy Peralta threw 5-1/3 gritty innings, and Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz each hit a two-run homer in Game 6 to lead the Rays.
This year will mark Tampa Bay’s third appearance in the World Series in 29 seasons. The Rays lost in 2008, falling in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies. They made it back to the Fall Classic in the COVID-shortened season of 2020, losing in six games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Both Tampa Bay and Milwaukee are seeking their first World Series title, the first time that has happened since 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals.
The loss extended Cleveland’s World Series championship drought to 78 years. The Guardians haven’t won the AL pennant since 2016, when they lost the World Series to the Chicago Cubs. They haven’t won the World Series since 1948.
On the 18-year anniversary of their first AL pennant in 2008, the Rays jumped ahead 2-0 in the second inning on Richie Palacios’ two-run double and clinched it with closer Bryan Baker on the mound.
The Guardians wouldn’t give up and had the go-ahead run at first base in the eighth when Kevin Kelly struck out Brayan Rocchio to leave the bases loaded after two runs scored.
Peralta allowed one run and five hits to earn his second win in the ALCS in his third appearance. He threw six scoreless innings to win Game 2 and got two outs in relief in Game 4.
A sellout crowd of 40,230 fans waved yellow-and-blue rally towels, rang cowbells and chanted “Let’s go Rays!” throughout the night at Tropicana Field, which needed major renovations after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof two years ago and caused extensive damage throughout the stadium.
The Rays played their 2025 home games across the Bay in Tampa at the New York Yankees’ spring training complex, got new ownership before this season and secured a new stadium deal to be ready in 2029 near the NFL’s Buccaneers. They returned to the Trop to win 55 games in the regular season. Only Milwaukee had that many home wins this year.
After sweeping the Yankees in the Division Series, the Rays fell behind the Guardians 0-1 and 1-2 in this series before taking three consecutive games.