Guardians silence Rays in ALCS Game 1, enough for 'José' chants to ring out at Tropicana Field

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hosting its first American League Championship Series since 2008, Tropicana Field, the oft-maligned home of the Tampa Bay Rays, was ready to rock on Monday.

Although not quite as packed as it was during the ALDS against the Yankees, the Trop still felt quite full and was indisputably quite loud. It was clear the fan base recognized what this team has been building toward all year and was eager to cheer their push for a World Series berth. Only a Cleveland Guardians team — one that won 13 fewer games than Tampa Bay in the regular season and just survived a five-game battle with the White Sox — stood in their way. The start of this best-of-seven series appeared heavily tilted in the Rays' favor.

Early on, that's how it played out. The Rays grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning, giving ace Drew Rasmussen an instant cushion. And Rasmussen — who carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the Yankees in the ALDS — appeared to improve as the night progressed. The score remained 2-0 through five.

But from there, the Guardians gradually seized control and eventually silenced the ear-splitting echoes rattling around Tampa Bay's home dome. As Cleveland put the finishing touches on its stunning 7-3 victory in ALCS Game 1 , the Rays fans cranked up the volume one final time but for a very different reason: to boo the elated Guardians supporters whose chants serenading José Ramírez had broken through the quiet.

After the Rays' strong start Monday, momentum started to shift toward the visitors in the bottom of the fifth inning, when rookie reliever Daniel Espino needed just 14 pitches to strike out Tampa Bay's top three batters in order. Yandy Diaz whiffed on three straight four-seamers — 97.9 mph, then 98.3, then 99.1 — at the top of the zone. Jonathan Aranda had no chance against Espino's slider. Junior Caminero came up empty thrice hacking at 99-mph heaters. It was a riveting relief outing, and it boosted the confidence in the Cleveland dugout.

Compounding matters, when Rasmussen returned to the mound to start the sixth, he was greeted by a hellacious swing from Chase DeLauter. Cleveland's rookie right fielder jumped on a first-pitch four-seamer and punched it out just over the left-field fence for his first career postseason homer and first opposite-field homer since May 3. Cleveland had made Rasmussen work in the early innings — his pitch count had climbed to 80 before DeLauter stepped to the plate — and finally, they were on the board.

"A guy like that, who's got a couple different fastballs, they preach getting ahead early … getting the first pitch in the zone sets the pitchers up," DeLauter said afterward of Cleveland's game plan against Rasmussen, who notched a first-pitch strike against the first nine batters he faced. "So as often as we get a good pitch over the plate and can hit it forward and see what happens, I think that's a good approach."

One inning later, catcher Patrick Bailey followed DeLauter in executing that approach. Rays manager Kevin Cash stuck with Rasmussen to face the bottom of Cleveland's order in the seventh. It was a well-earned display of trust in one of the best starting pitchers in the American League — but it backfired immediately.

Bailey had scalded a single off a Rasmussen changeup in the second, then struck out chasing a high fastball in the fourth. In their third encounter, he pounced on a first-pitch cutter and launched it 436 feet to right-center field for a game-tying homer.

"He was aggressive in-zone, attacking us with all three of those heaters," Bailey said afterward. "He was on tonight. I think we were just able to take advantage of some pitches kind of left out over the plate."

With that, Rasmussen's night was over. But the Guardians were just getting started.

Tyler Wells took the ball for Tampa Bay in the eighth, making his first appearance since Sept. 12; he finished the regular season on the injured list and did not pitch against the Yankees last round. Against him, Ramírez and DeLauter reached on a single and a double, and Jo Adell grounded out.

Then Cash went to southpaw Ian Seymour to face lefty-swinging first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. It's a scenario that has often prompted Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt to counter with a right-handed pinch-hitter such as David Fry. But Vogt stuck with the veteran Lowe, and he came through with a base hit up the middle to drive in Ramírez and DeLauter to make it 4-2 Guardians.

"That was huge for us," Adell said of Lowe's clutch knock. "Just a big momentum switch toward the end. And we just kept our foot on the gas the whole way through."

More damage followed in the ninth. With Cole Sulser on the mound, a runner on second and first base open, the Rays opted to pitch to Ramírez with the dangerous DeLauter on deck. Ramírez promptly sliced a cutter into left field for his third hit of the game and the Guardians' fifth run. After DeLauter walked, Adell punctuated the Guardians' big night at the plate with a double that scored Ramírez and DeLauter to make it 7-3 Cleveland.

That held to the finish, as closer Cade Smith breezed through the ninth on six pitches.

When the Guardians visited Tropicana Field in July, they got swept, extending a losing streak to a season-high five games. In that series, they mustered just 13 hits and three total runs and got shut out in the final two contests. It was the kind of discouraging offensive showing that suggested the lineup needed a boost if the Guardians wanted to make any noise down the stretch.

One week later, Cleveland acquired Adell and Lowe in the hours leading up to the trade deadline.

On Monday, those two pickups — plus another trade acquisition in Bailey, landed in a swap back in May — were front and center as the Guardians snagged Game 1 on the road and stunned the top-seeded Rays enough for the "José!" chants to ring out in Tampa.