Rays beat Guardians 7-3 in ALCS Game 6 to reach World Series against Brewers
In short
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night and advanced to the World Series. They will face the Milwaukee Brewers, so the series will produce a first-time champion. Game 1 is Friday night in Milwaukee.
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The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night and advanced to the World Series for the third time in the franchise's 29 seasons. Freddy Peralta started, and Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz each hit a two-run homer. The Guardian US gave Peralta's line as 5.1 innings, while The Boston Globe gave it as 5⅓ innings. [ 2 , 3 ]
The Rays will face the Milwaukee Brewers in the World Series. Both teams are seeking their first title. The Guardian US described them as low-payroll pennant winners and said it will be the first World Series between title-less teams since the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals in 1980. The best-of-seven series opens Friday night in Milwaukee. The loss extended Cleveland's World Series championship drought to 78 years. [ 2 , 3 ]
The Boston Globe reported that the Rays led 2-0 in the second inning on Richie Palacios' two-run double and clinched the game with closer Bryan Baker on the mound. Cleveland 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. The Globe said Peralta allowed one run and five hits to earn his second win of the series, after six scoreless innings in Game 2 and two outs in relief in Game 4. [ 3 ]
The Globe said the Rays swept the Yankees in the Division Series, then fell behind the Guardians 0-1 and 1-2 before winning three straight games. A sellout crowd of 40,230 waved rally towels and chanted "Let's go Rays!" at Tropicana Field, which needed major renovations after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof two years ago. The Rays played their 2025 home games in Tampa at the Yankees' spring training complex, got new ownership before this season and secured a new stadium deal for 2029. They won 55 games at the Trop in the regular season, a number matched at home only by Milwaukee. [ 2 , 3 ]
Milwaukee's Jake Bauers, MVP of the four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, said: "The city is ready. I know that the fans are ready, and I know that we'll be ready." The Guardian US named Jacob Misiorowski as the Brewers' pitcher with 100 mph-plus heat, and said each team has a 22-year-old anchoring its lineup: Jackson Chourio for Milwaukee and Caminero for Tampa Bay. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
Neither the Rays nor the Brewers has won a World Series, so a new champion is guaranteed. The Guardians' World Series title drought extends to 78 years.
Key facts
- The Rays beat the Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Freddy Peralta started for Tampa Bay, and Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz each hit a two-run homer. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The Rays will face the Brewers in the World Series, which opens Friday night in Milwaukee. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Both the Rays and the Brewers are seeking their first World Series title. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The loss extended Cleveland's World Series championship drought to 78 years. [ 2 , 3 ]
- A sellout crowd of 40,230 attended at Tropicana Field. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Tampa Bay beat Cleveland 7-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS to advance to the World Series for the third time in the franchise's 29 seasons. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The World Series between the Rays and the Brewers will produce a first-time champion. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Game 1 of the World Series is Friday night in Milwaukee. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The sellout crowd of 40,230 saw the game at Tropicana Field, which needed major renovations after Hurricane Milton damaged the roof two years ago. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- How many innings Peralta pitched. The Guardian US gives 5.1 innings and The Boston Globe gives 5⅓ innings; the two are written differently in the documents.