The Tampa Bay Rays just grabbed ALCS Game 5, beating the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 at Progressive Field, and now they’re just one win away from a World Series berth. On paper, everyone was hyped for an absolute pitching clinic, a classic October duel between two of the league’s best arms. But man, did that vision vanish fast once the first pitch flew.
That Duel We All Expected? Yeah, About That…
Alright, so here’s the scoop: coming into Sunday, we were talking about two serious contenders for that third AL Cy Young finalist spot. Drew Rasmussen for the Rays and Parker Messick, the rookie lefty for the Guardians, both had phenomenal regular seasons. Rasmussen was third in fWAR at 5.0 and fourth in ERA at 2.67, right there behind Yankees ace Cam Schlittler and Toronto’s Dylan Cease. Messick was fourth in fWAR at 4.9 and third in ERA at 2.56. These guys were scheduled to face off in a high-stakes Game 5 with the series tied two games apiece, after both had taken losses in their previous starts this series. We’re talking AL Pennant on the line. Remember that 1-0 Rays win in July where Messick gave up one run in 7 ⅔ innings and Rasmussen threw seven shutout frames with just one hit? That was the blueprint for what we thought we were getting.
Instead, the Rays absolutely hammered Messick from the jump. The dude’s velocity has actually held up this season despite a monster workload beyond anything he’s done before, but his command? It’s been wobbly lately, and it showed up big time Sunday. Messick did manage to strike out Junior Caminero twice with changeups in the first two innings, which was cool, but honestly, that’s where the good news pretty much stopped. He gave up only one extra-base hit, a Yandy Diaz double to kick off the game, and only two runs, but the Rays lineup made him work. We’re talking 31 pitches in the first inning, another 26 in the second. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt had to pull him way earlier than anyone planned. Just brutal to watch a guy with that much talent get worn down so fast in such a huge moment.
Rays Chipped Away, Rasmussen Delivered
With Messick out of the game, the Rays kept applying pressure. Chandler Simpson got a leadoff double, then Liam Hicks dropped an RBI single against Tim Herrin, who was the second of six Cleveland relievers to take the mound. That made it 3-0 Tampa Bay in the third inning. And honestly, for Rasmussen, that was all the cushion he needed. He settled in and held up his end of the bargain. While the classic duel didn’t materialize on the Guardians’ side, Rasmussen delivered what his team needed.
Now, the Rays are looking at a potential trip to the World Series, needing just one more win. The Guardians have to figure out how to stop the bleeding and keep their season alive. It’s going to be a tense one next game, you can bet on it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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