Drew Rasmussen Put the Rays One Win From the World Series: What His Game 5 Start Means
Tampa Bay is one win from its first pennant since 2020, and Drew Rasmussen is the reason.
The Rays beat Cleveland 3-1 on Sunday at Progressive Field to take a 3-2 lead in the American League Championship Series. Rasmussen went seven innings, allowed four hits and one run, walked one and struck out six. Game 6 is Monday night at Tropicana Field.
He Barely Let Anyone Square It Up
Rasmussen allowed a two-out single to Chase DeLauter in the first and then nothing at all until the sixth. He retired nine straight at one point and 14 of 15 at another. Cleveland put six balls out of the infield against him all night and hit three balls hard, two of which were outs. He was at 90 pitches entering the seventh and went back out anyway.
The seventh is where it got loud. Nathaniel Lowe singled to lead off. Rasmussen retired Travis Bazzana, then got Patrick Bailey to ground into an inning-ending double play, Bailey’s third double play in his last six at-bats. Rasmussen shouted toward the Tampa Bay dugout on his way off.
He is now 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in three postseason starts. He is the only pitcher in Rays history with multiple postseason starts of at least seven innings and no more than one run allowed. The last pitcher anywhere to do it twice in one October before the World Series was Logan Webb in 2021.
None of this is a fluke. Since the All-Star break Rasmussen is 11-0 with a 1.73 ERA, 99 strikeouts and 18 walks in 93 2/3 innings, and Tampa Bay has won 14 of his 15 starts.
Cleveland Never Got Going
Parker Messick lasted two innings. The rookie left-hander needed 57 pitches to get six outs and seven of the 13 hitters he faced reached base. He was pulled in the third.
Tampa Bay scratched out all three runs early and none of them were loud. Yandy Diaz doubled to lead off the game, the Rays loaded the bases and Jonny DeLuca drew a bases-loaded walk. Three opposite-field singles in the second brought home Ben Williamson on a Jonathan Aranda hit. Chandler Simpson doubled in the third, stole third and scored on a Liam Hicks single.
“And what Yandy does at the top of our lineup, it ignites everybody,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Cleveland’s only run came on a DeLauter grounder that scored Steven Kwan. The Guardians managed five hits. Kwan had two of them, plus a throw that cut down Taylor Walls at the plate and a jumping catch at the wall to end the game. Bryan Baker worked a scoreless ninth for his 35th consecutive converted save chance.
“Just not enough strikes, and they really made him work,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of Messick.
What Game 6 Looks Like
History is not on Cleveland’s side. Road teams that win Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in a league championship series have gone on to win four of five times since the format went to seven games in 1985. The Guardians have never won an ALCS after trailing 3-2, though they did climb out of an 0-2 hole against the White Sox in this year’s division series.
Starters have not been announced. Freddy Peralta is available for Tampa Bay after relieving in Game 4. Cleveland’s best option, Gavin Williams, would be a day short of regular rest, which gives Stephen Vogt a decision about whether to use him now or save him for a Game 7 that may not happen.
The Bigger Prize
Milwaukee is already waiting. The Brewers swept the Dodgers to win the first National League pennant in franchise history and open the World Series at home on Friday.
If the Rays finish this, the 2026 World Series will crown a first-time champion no matter who wins, because neither Tampa Bay nor Milwaukee has ever won one.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
