José Ramírez, man. His fielding error in the fourth inning was the absolute gut punch that opened the door for three unearned runs, allowing the Tampa Bay Rays to snag a critical 3-1 win against the Cleveland Guardians Tuesday night and knot this AL Championship Series up at one game a piece. Talk about a momentum swing, right? Game 3 of this best-of-seven series is set for Thursday night in Cleveland, and you know both sides are thinking about that miscue.
That Fourth Inning Was a Wild Ride for Cleveland
Things got totally sideways for the Guardians in the fourth, and it all started with Junior Caminero walking to kick off the inning. Then Victor Mesa Jr. grounded into what *looked* like a double play initially. But hold up, the Rays challenged it, and after a video review, first base umpire Mark Ripperger’s call was overturned. Mesa was safe, dude! Jonny DeLuca struck out next, but then Chandler Simpson beat out a high chopper to short. And get this: Mesa hustled to third, standing up, because Ramírez didn’t cover the bag. Then, as if things weren’t chaotic enough, Ben Williamson hit a grounder that literally scooted underneath Ramírez’s glove and between his legs. The ball hit that weird spot where the artificial turf meets the dirt, but still, the third baseman played back instead of charging. Williamson ended up on second, Simpson on third. That’s when Liam Hicks stepped up, ripped the very next pitch to right-center, and suddenly it was 3-0 for the Rays, sending that towel-waving, cowbell-ringing crowd of 32,125 at Tropicana Field absolutely bananas. What a brutal turn of events for rookie lefty Parker Messick, who grew up going to Rays games at the Trop and took the loss after giving up six hits and all three of those unearned runs in five innings.
Peralta Pitches a Gem and the Rays Turn Their Season Around
Freddy Peralta was absolutely dealing out there, pitching six innings of four-hit ball, striking out six Guardians to earn the win. You could just feel his fire walking off the mound in the sixth after he fanned Petey Halpin swinging at a 3-2 changeup, with fans chanting “Freddy! Freddy! Freddy!” He barely needed any more support after Hicks’s big hit. Kevin Kelly came in for two outs in the seventh, even getting Ramírez on a fly ball to center with two runners on. Lefty Ian Seymour took over, giving up an RBI double to Chase DeLauter, but then he struck out Jo Adell swinging to leave runners stranded. Seymour pitched a clean 1-2-3 eighth, and Bryan Baker closed it out with a perfect ninth for his fourth postseason save. Peralta, who the Rays snagged from the Mets at the trade deadline, has totally turned his season around since coming to Tampa Bay, going 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts after rocking a 4.99 ERA for New York. The 98-win Rays swept the Yankees before that 7-3 loss in Game 1 on Monday. Also, shoutout to Caminero, who played all 162 regular season games and hammered 42 homers, making a sick leaping grab to his left on Steven Kwan’s liner in the fifth and wagging his finger at the batter. This 3-1 win snapped Cleveland’s four-game postseason winning streak, their longest since they won six straight back in 2016 on their way to the World Series.
Man, this series is now tied up, and Thursday night in Cleveland, Game 3 is gonna be huge. Who’s gonna take the lead? You know the Guardians are itching for revenge after that messy fourth inning, and the Rays are riding high after getting on the board. Don’t miss 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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