The Tampa Bay Rays sit just one win away from the World Series after putting on a postseason clinic in Cleveland on Sunday.
Behind a pitching gem from Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay silenced Progressive Field with a clinical 3-1 Game 5 victory, seizing a 3-2 series lead that pushes the Guardians to the brink of elimination and sets up a potential World Series showdown against Milwaukee.
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Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates a single during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on Oct. 18, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Getty Images)
Drew Rasmussen of the Tampa Bay Rays reacts to a double play during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on Oct. 18, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Getty Images)
Rasmussen was lights-out. Over seven strong innings, he surrendered just one run on four hits and gave Cleveland virtually no room to breathe. The Guardians had no answers at the plate, and when they threatened again in the seventh, Rasmussen erased the danger with a 6-4-3 double play.
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The Rays didn’t need big home runs to take control; they simply chipped away early. Jonny DeLuca worked a bases-loaded walk in the first, Jonathan Aranda lined an RBI single in the second, and Liam Hicks dropped in an RBI single of his own in the third.
Junior Caminero of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates with assistant hitting coach Ozzie Timmons in the dugout before Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Oct. 18, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Cleveland looked flat from start to finish. The Guardians had no rhythm at the plate, swinging right through Rasmussen’s best pitches and struggling to string at-bats together. Their only run came on an infield groundout in the sixth, and Tampa Bay’s bullpen locked down the final six outs without breaking a sweat, capped by Bryan Baker closing it out in the ninth.
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The series now heads back south to St. Petersburg for Game 6. The Rays have two chances on their home turf to capture the American League pennant, while the Guardians have to find a way to revive their offense.
And Milwaukee is waiting.
Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays leaves the field during Game 5 of the American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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