ST. PETERSBURG - The Tampa Bay Rays are one win away from the World Series, hosting the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field with first pitch set for 8:08 p.m. ET Monday on TBS and HBO Max.
Tampa Bay carries a 3-2 series lead into the game after a 3-1 victory in Game 5 in Cleveland, with Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz posting five hits over the last two games and making no secret of his expectations. “It’s a great opportunity. All of us are thinking of it,” Díaz said when asked about being one win away from the World Series. “But it all ends tomorrow. We’re going to win tomorrow.”
Manager Kevin Cash credited Díaz as the engine of the offense. “He goes, we go,” Cash said. “We talk about leaders on the team and how they go about their business. What Yandy does at the top of our lineup, it ignites everybody. Not surprised that he is starting to see the ball well.”
Righty Freddy Peralta gets the ball for Tampa Bay, entering the start with a 6-0 record and a 0.79 ERA across nine appearances - eight starts - since Aug. 26. Peralta threw nine pitches of relief in Game 4 Saturday but is expected to be available without limitations. He has been especially dominant at Tropicana Field during that stretch, posting a 0.99 ERA with 26 strikeouts against eight walks in five home starts. “What he’s done at home, holy smokes. I thought he got back to being an athlete with us and not quite so robotic,” starter Drew Rasmussen said. “It really freed him up to be exactly who we thought he was going to be when we got him at the [Trade] Deadline.”
Cleveland will counter with a bullpen game, as ace Gavin Williams is unavailable on short rest. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt confirmed Williams lines up as a likely Game 7 starter if Cleveland can extend the series. Vogt acknowledged the pressure but pointed to his club’s resilience after rallying from an 0-2 deficit against the White Sox in the ALDS. “Let’s go. We don’t have another choice,” Vogt said. “We don’t like being in this position, but it’s like we said in the last series when our backs were against the wall. They’ve been against the wall for a long time. This is when this team thrives. We know we’ve got our work cut out for us. It’s a really good team and a really good team when they play at home, especially.”
Closer Bryan Baker has finished all six of Tampa Bay’s postseason wins. On the Cleveland side, Hunter Gaddis has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 postseason innings, while rookie Chase DeLauter’s 11 hits are tied with Brayan Rocchio’s 2024 total for the most by a Cleveland rookie in a single postseason. Rocchio himself is 4-for-31 this postseason.
Former Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, who hit seven postseason home runs - including four during Tampa Bay’s seven-game 2008 ALCS win over Boston - will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. Tropicana Field gates open at 5 p.m., with buy-one, get-one drinks available from 5-7 p.m. Prepaid parking lots open at 3 p.m. The Milwaukee Brewers, who swept the Dodgers on Oct. 15, await the winner. If the Guardians force a Game 7, it would be played Tuesday.