Guardians rally to stun Rays with late-game onslaught, steal ALCS Game 1 on the road

This time last week, the Cleveland Guardians were in an 0-2 hole and in danger of being swept by the Chicago White Sox in the ALDS.Now they're three wins away from playing in the World Series. The Guardians rallied from a 2-0 deficit in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series to secure a 7-3 win over the favored Tampa Bay Rays on Monday. With the win, the Guardians have stolen home-field advantage as the series begins in Tampa.Tampa Bay, which had not trailed in the postseason until Monday, struck early against Guardians starter Foster Griffin with two runs on four hits in the first inning as eight Rays batters went to the plate. It looked like more of the same from a Rays team that finished the regular season with five more wins than any other team in the American League.José Ramírez and Chase DeLauter both had big nights to lead the Guardians past the Rays in Game 1.Julio Aguilar via Getty ImagesGuardians finally crack Drew Rasmussen with 2 homersEarly on, Rays ace Drew Rasmussen was in full control on the heels of his one-hit effort in a shutout of the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the ALDS. He started Monday's game with five scoreless innings to extend his postseason shutout streak to 13 consecutive frames.But a pair of first-pitch home runs ended that streak.Chase DeLauter delivered with a towering, opposite-field shot on Rasmussen's first pitch of the sixth, which cut Tampa Bay's lead in half.Chase DeLauter gets a run back for the Guardians! pic.twitter.com/dtYgH6QdbB— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026 Then, with Rasmussen at 90 pitches, Rays manager Kevin Cash opted to send his ace back out for the seventh. It's a decision that backfired immediately.Patrick Bailey tied the game with another solo home run, this one off Rasmussen's first pitch of the inning.Patrick Bailey ties the game with a solo shot! pic.twitter.com/U8nPaiucVO— MLB (@MLB) October 13, 2026 With that, the game was tied, and Rasmussen's night was done. Guardians do damage after Rasmussen's exitFrom there, the Guardians continued to rally against Tampa Bay's bullpen.In the top of the eighth, a José Ramírez single and DeLauter double put runners on second and third with no outs. A Nathaniel Lowe liner to center field sent them both home for a 4-2 lead, and the Guardians never trailed again.Lowe for the lead!Cleveland #Guardians (1B) Nathaniel Lowe drives in a pair of runs in the 8th inning vs the Rays.#StandGuard pic.twitter.com/5zbvyBTTzH— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) October 13, 2026 Tampa Bay responded with a solo home run from Cedric Mullins in the bottom of the eighth. But the Guardians piled on in the top of the ninth, stifling any hope of a Tampa Bay comeback. Ramírez extended the lead to 5-3 with a two-out RBI single. Then he and DeLauter came home courtesy of a two-run Jo Adell double down the left-field line after DeLauter drew a six-pitch walk.Welcome to the Jo Show.#GuardsBall | #StandGuard pic.twitter.com/EKoXiCJpuy— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 13, 2026 The clutch hit extended Cleveland's lead to the final 7-3 margin and capped a big night for both Ramírez and DeLauter.Guardians' stars show outOn Monday, Ramírez went 3-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI. DeLauter finished a triple short of the cycle while going 3-for-4 with a home run, an RBI and three runs scored. The pair accounted for six of Cleveland's 14 hits as eight Guardians batters recorded hits against Tampa Bay pitching. The effort continued an offensive outburst from the previous series, as the Guardians scored nine runs in consecutive ALDS wins against the White Sox before closing out the series with a 2-0 win in Game 5.Six Cleveland pitchers, meanwhile, limited the Rays to just one run after Griffin's two-run first.The Rays will look to midseason acquisition Freddy Peralta (4.42 ERA, 1.325 WHIP in regular season) to turn things around on the mound in Game 2 on Tuesday. The Guardians are scheduled to counter with All-Star Parker Messick (2.56 ERA, 1.063 WHIP).