Rays beat Guardians to reach World Series against Brewers

The Big Picture

The Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the World Series after beating the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night. Tampa Bay will face the Milwaukee Brewers, with Game 1 scheduled for Friday night in Milwaukee.

The matchup guarantees a new World Series champion. Neither franchise has won the title, and it will be the first World Series pairing of franchises without a prior championship since the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals in 1980, according to The Guardian.

For the Rays, it is their third trip to the World Series and their first since 2020. Tampa Bay lost its previous appearances, to Philadelphia in 2008 and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Milwaukee is returning to the Series for the first time since 1982, when it lost a seven-game series to St. Louis.

What Happened

Cleveland took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven ALCS, but Tampa Bay won Games 4, 5 and 6 to close out the series.

The Rays built an early Game 6 advantage at Tropicana Field. Richie Palacios drove in two runs with a double in the second inning, according to NBC News, and Jonny DeLuca's sacrifice fly in the third made it 3-0.

After Cleveland narrowed the deficit to 3-1 in the sixth, Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer in the seventh. The Guardians scored twice in the eighth to pull within 5-3, but Yandy Díaz answered with a two-run homer that set the final margin. Caminero and Díaz each finished with a two-run home run.

The Guardian reported that Freddy Peralta threw 5.1 innings for Tampa Bay. A sellout crowd of 40,230 attended the clincher, waving yellow-and-blue rally towels and ringing cowbells at the renovated ballpark.

After the victory, Caminero addressed the crowd: “This is for you! Let's go! I can't hear you!”

Why It Matters

The World Series will match the winningest regular-season teams in their respective leagues. Milwaukee finished with an MLB-best 103 victories, while Tampa Bay won 98. The Brewers won two of the clubs' three regular-season meetings, all played during the season's first week.

The matchup also puts two clubs with comparatively modest payrolls on baseball's biggest stage. Both NBC News and The Guardian listed Milwaukee 19th in payroll, but the outlets differed on Tampa Bay's position. NBC News described the Rays as having the third-lowest payroll, while The Guardian ranked them 25th as of Aug. 31.

The Rays' route adds another layer to the accomplishment. Hurricane Milton tore the roof off Tropicana Field in October 2024, forcing major renovation work. The Guardian reported that Tampa Bay played its 2025 home games at the New York Yankees' spring-training complex in Tampa before returning to Tropicana Field this season. The Rays won 55 regular-season home games there, a total matched only by Milwaukee.

What Each Side Is Saying

For Cleveland, the loss extended a 78-year World Series championship drought, according to The Guardian. The Guardians led the majors with 41 comeback wins during the regular season, but did not hold a lead over the final 25 innings of the ALCS.

“I couldn't be more proud of our group,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said after the loss. “It just hurts. It stings. Really felt like we had a team to go and just weren't able to get there.”

What Happens Next

The best-of-seven World Series begins Friday in Milwaukee. The Brewers swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in four games in the National League Championship Series, while Tampa Bay arrives after winning three straight games against Cleveland.

One team will end its championship wait. The Rays, founded as the Devil Rays in 1998, are seeking their first title in their third World Series. The Brewers' only previous Series appearance came in 1982, when the club was still in the American League.