Rasmussen Leads Rays Past Guardians 3–1 in ALCS Game 5, One Win From World Series

The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 in ALCS Game 5 on Sunday, October 18, at Progressive Field, moving within one victory of the World Series. Drew Rasmussen allowed one run over seven innings as Tampa Bay took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series.

The Rays scored in each of the first three innings, then protected their lead through Cleveland’s late opportunities. Tyler Wells struck out José Ramírez with the tying run at the plate in the eighth, and Bryan Baker worked a scoreless ninth for the save. Tampa Bay outhit Cleveland 12-5; neither team made an error.

Rays vs. Guardians Game 5 score

Rays score in three straight innings and push Messick out early

Tampa Bay made Parker Messick work for his six outs. With two outs and the bases loaded in the first, Jonny DeLuca drew a walk that forced in Yandy Díaz. Cleveland catcher Patrick Bailey challenged the pitch ruling, and the call stood. The Rays left the bases loaded but had their first run.

Jonathan Aranda added an RBI single in the second, sending Ben Williamson home and Díaz to second. Messick left after two innings, five hits, two walks and 57 pitches. Cleveland needed five relievers to cover the remaining seven innings.

The third run belonged to Tim Herrin, who entered with the bases empty to start the third. Chandler Simpson doubled, stole third during DeLuca’s plate appearance and scored on Liam Hicks’ single. Simpson and Hicks each finished with two hits, while Díaz led the Rays with three.

Cleveland’s defense helped prevent a larger deficit. José Ramírez, Travis Bazzana and Nathaniel Lowe turned a double play against Williamson to end the third. Steven Kwan threw Taylor Walls out at home on Aranda’s fourth-inning single. Bazzana and Lowe completed another double play against Williamson in the sixth.

After Herrin departed with a runner aboard and nobody out in the fourth, Shawn Armstrong, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith combined for six scoreless innings. They allowed four hits and one walk across 21 batters faced, keeping Cleveland within reach.

Rasmussen holds Cleveland to one run over seven innings

Rasmussen allowed a first-inning single to Chase DeLauter, then did not surrender another hit until Kwan singled with one out in the sixth. Ramírez followed with a single that moved Kwan to third. DeLauter’s groundout to first brought Kwan home, but Rasmussen retired Jo Adell to leave Ramírez at second and keep the score 3-1.

Nathaniel Lowe led off the seventh with a single. After Bazzana popped out, Rasmussen induced Bailey’s inning-ending double play, Williamson to Walls to Aranda. Rasmussen finished with four hits allowed, one walk and six strikeouts on 95 pitches, 69 for strikes.

Manager Kevin Cash used three relievers for the final six outs. Cam Booser retired the first two batters in the eighth before Kwan singled. Wells came in with Ramírez representing the tying run and struck him out swinging, stranding the runner he inherited.

Baker walked DeLauter to start the ninth, then got Adell to hit into a forceout and Lowe to foul out. Bazzana grounded to second baseman Richie Palacios for the final out. Cleveland went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position; Tampa Bay was 4-for-13.

Rasmussen explains the changeup; Cash credits the defense

Rasmussen said the Rays had wanted to use the same plan in Game 1, but his changeup’s movement and command had failed him then. This time, he said, the pitch gave him another way to attack Cleveland, alongside his cutter at the top of the strike zone.

“We were able to attack with the change-up a lot more tonight than we did, like I said, in Game 1,” Rasmussen said in his postgame news conference.

Asked about Tampa Bay’s early scoring, Rasmussen said it allowed him to pitch more aggressively from the beginning. He also credited the infield and outfield defense with reducing the pressure of balls put in play.

Cash also identified the improved changeup as a difference from Rasmussen’s first start in the series. “But he got in rhythm with the fastball. A lot of power to everything,” the manager said in his postgame availability.

Cash credited his defenders’ range against a Cleveland lineup that could hit the ball hard and use the whole field. He said Tampa Bay found favorable counts against Parker Messick, while Cleveland’s relief matchups made larger innings difficult. Asked about the opposite-field hits in the second inning, Cash connected them to the strengths of his right-handed hitters.

Díaz looks toward Game 6

Asked about the offense over the previous two nights, Díaz credited its positive approach and aggression on good pitches. His focus as the leadoff hitter, he said, was reaching base rather than counting his hits.

His answer about being one victory from the World Series was more direct: “It’s a great opportunity. All of us are thinking of it. But it all ends tomorrow. We’re going to win tomorrow.” Díaz made the prediction through an interpreter in his postgame news conference.

Vogt: Early call to the bullpen, then a missing big hit

“We didn’t anticipate going into the bullpen in the third,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said in his postgame news conference transcript. He credited Tampa Bay with working patient at-bats and using the opposite field against Messick, whose velocity and movement he said remained intact. Cleveland’s relief work kept the game within reach, but Vogt said his hitters could not find the big hit against Rasmussen.

“Three fastballs and a really good change-up,” Vogt said when asked why Rasmussen was so difficult to square up. He described a cutter with more movement than in the earlier matchup, a sinker coming back toward the plate and a four-seamer reaching the upper edge of the strike zone. Vogt also credited Kwan’s defense with helping keep Cleveland in the game.

Messick put the focus on execution rather than his physical condition. In an edited postgame interview released by MLB, he said his “body feels good, arm feels good.” He credited Tampa Bay’s hitters with putting balls in play and finding holes. Vogt said Messick’s increased workload might play a part, while stressing that the club could not know and that the pitcher still felt good.

Two-out pitching changes and late lineup moves

Cleveland also changed pitchers with two outs in the eighth. Smith inherited Jorge Mateo at third and Hicks at first from Gaddis, then got Williamson to fly out. Smith and Wells kept all three runners they inherited in those eighth-inning appearances from scoring.

Mateo had entered as a pinch-runner after Junior Caminero’s eighth-inning single. Simpson’s sacrifice bunt moved him to second, and DeLuca’s flyout advanced him to third. Mateo stayed at second base for the bottom half, moving Williamson to third; Palacios replaced Mateo for the ninth and participated in two of Baker’s three outs.

Cash also used Victor Mesa Jr. to pinch-hit for Ryan Vilade in the fourth before keeping him in right field. Cedric Mullins ran for Díaz in the ninth and remained in the designated-hitter spot. Cleveland countered with Angel Martínez for Petey Halpin in the eighth; Martínez played left in the ninth as Kwan moved to center. The complete batting reference below retains the zero-at-bat runners and defensive substitutes.

When is Rays vs Guardians Game 6?

Game 6 is Monday, October 19, at Tropicana Field, with first pitch scheduled for 6:08 p.m. MDT. Tampa Bay can clinch the AL pennant with a win; Cleveland must win to force Game 7. The official schedule lists Freddy Peralta as the Rays’ probable starter. Cleveland had not listed a probable starter at the statistical cutoff.

If needed, Game 7 is scheduled at the same venue on Tuesday, October 20, at 6:08 p.m. MDT. The AL winner advances to the World Series. The World Series schedule and viewing guide has the championship round’s dates and viewing details.

For the preceding game, read the Rays–Guardians ALCS Game 4 recap. The Game 5 Game Center preserves the final inning record and play-by-play access.

Complete Game 5 box score

All figures below are for this game. Scroll tables horizontally on a phone. Players are listed in batting order, with substitutes immediately after the player they replaced. S = starter; Sub = substitute; PR = pinch runner; PH = pinch hitter; DH = designated hitter. Position sequences show roles actually recorded in the game.

Tampa Bay Rays

Pitching totals: 9.0 IP; 124 pitches, 88 strikes. Innings use baseball notation: .1 means one out and .2 means two outs. IR/IRS = inherited runners/inherited runners who scored; each reliever’s inherited runners are shown individually.

Fielding and unused players: Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays official participant fielding

Player	Recorded positions	PO	A	E	PB
Taylor Walls	SS	1	5	0	0
Tyler Wells	P	0	0	0	0
Richie Palacios	2B	1	1	0	0
Jorge Mateo	PR → 2B	0	0	0	0
Ryan Vilade	RF	0	0	0	0
Chandler Simpson	LF	2	0	0	0
Cam Booser	P	0	0	0	0
Jonny DeLuca	CF	0	0	0	0
Liam Hicks	C	7	0	0	0
Jonathan Aranda	1B	12	1	0	0
Yandy Díaz	DH	0	0	0	0
Ben Williamson	2B → 3B	1	4	0	0
Victor Mesa Jr.	PH → RF	1	0	0	0
Bryan Baker	P	0	0	0	0
Junior Caminero	3B	1	0	0	0
Drew Rasmussen	P	1	1	0	0
Cedric Mullins	PR → DH	0	0	0	0
Team totals		27	12	0	0

PO = putouts; A = assists; E = errors; PB = passed balls. Zero fielding totals for a DH or pinch runner do not indicate defensive innings. Unused bench: Nick Fortes. Unused bullpen: Brody Hopkins, Griffin Jax, Kevin Kelly, Nick Martinez, Steven Matz, Freddy Peralta, Ian Seymour, Cole Sulser.

Cleveland Guardians

Pitching totals: 9.0 IP; 147 pitches, 96 strikes. Innings use baseball notation: .1 means one out and .2 means two outs. IR/IRS = inherited runners/inherited runners who scored; each reliever’s inherited runners are shown individually.

Fielding and unused players: Cleveland Guardians

Cleveland Guardians official participant fielding

Player	Recorded positions	PO	A	E	PB
Shawn Armstrong	P	0	0	0	0
Chase DeLauter	RF	1	0	0	0
Nathaniel Lowe	1B	7	1	0	0
Travis Bazzana	2B	2	2	0	0
Patrick Bailey	C	7	0	0	0
Brayan Rocchio	SS	2	1	0	0
Petey Halpin	CF	2	0	0	0
Jo Adell	DH	0	0	0	0
Cade Smith	P	0	0	0	0
José Ramírez	3B	0	3	0	0
Steven Kwan	LF → CF	4	1	0	0
Angel Martínez	PH → LF	1	0	0	0
Parker Messick	P	0	0	0	0
Erik Sabrowski	P	0	0	0	0
Hunter Gaddis	P	1	0	0	0
Tim Herrin	P	0	0	0	0
Team totals		27	8	0	0

PO = putouts; A = assists; E = errors; PB = passed balls. Zero fielding totals for a DH or pinch runner do not indicate defensive innings. Unused bench: David Fry, Angel Genao, Austin Hedges. Unused bullpen: Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi, Daniel Espino, Matt Festa, Foster Griffin, Gavin Williams.

Additional batting abbreviations: AB = at-bats; RBI = runs batted in; BB = walks; K = strikeouts; 2B/3B/HR = doubles/triples/home runs; SB/CS = stolen bases/caught stealing; HBP = hit by pitch; SH/SF = sacrifice bunts/flies; GIDP = grounded into double plays. BF = batters faced; P–S = pitches–strikes. No pitcher allowed a home run, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch or committed a balk.

Substitutions and fielding notes

• Top 3: Pitching Change: Tim Herrin replaces Parker Messick.
• Top 4: Pitching Change: Shawn Armstrong replaces Tim Herrin.
• Top 4: Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Victor Mesa Jr. replaces Ryan Vilade.
• Bottom 4: Victor Mesa Jr. remains in the game as the right fielder.
• Top 5: Pitching Change: Erik Sabrowski replaces Shawn Armstrong.
• Top 7: Pitching Change: Hunter Gaddis replaces Erik Sabrowski.
• Top 8: Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Jorge Mateo replaces Junior Caminero.
• Top 8: Pitching Change: Cade Smith replaces Hunter Gaddis.
• Bottom 8: Jorge Mateo remains in the game as the second baseman.
• Bottom 8: Defensive switch from second base to third base for Ben Williamson.
• Bottom 8: Pitching Change: Cam Booser replaces Drew Rasmussen.
• Bottom 8: Offensive Substitution: Pinch-hitter Angel Martínez replaces Petey Halpin.
• Bottom 8: Pitching Change: Tyler Wells replaces Cam Booser.
• Top 9: Defensive switch from left field to center field for Steven Kwan.
• Top 9: Angel Martínez remains in the game as the left fielder.
• Top 9: Offensive Substitution: Pinch-runner Cedric Mullins replaces Yandy Díaz.
• Bottom 9: Cedric Mullins remains in the game as the designated hitter.
• Bottom 9: Defensive Substitution: Richie Palacios replaces second baseman Jorge Mateo, batting 4th, playing second base.
• Bottom 9: Pitching Change: Bryan Baker replaces Tyler Wells.

Cleveland turned two double plays; Tampa Bay turned one. Steven Kwan threw out Taylor Walls at home in the fourth inning. Both clubs finished without an error. Tim Herrin faced one batter in the fourth inning.

Official highlights and game sources

• Rays vs. Guardians Game 5 highlights
• Rasmussen’s six-strikeout outing
• Kwan’s ninth-inning catch at the wall
• Cash’s postgame reaction, an edited official interview
• MLB Gameday: final box score and play-by-play
• MLB’s Game 5 report

These links open official highlights and an edited interview. The statistical reference uses MLB’s final game records. Full postgame transcript links and Messick’s edited interview appear with the quoted reaction.

For the managers’ responses, read the separate Kevin Cash and Stephen Vogt POSTGAME report.