Rays 7, Guardians 3: Late homers and a bases-loaded escape clinch the pennant

Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz each hit a late two-run homer, and Kevin Kelly supplied the out between them that kept Cleveland's rally from changing the lead. The Rays beat the Guardians 7-3 Monday at Tropicana Field to win the American League Championship Series four games to two.

The Rays will face Milwaukee in the World Series. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday, October 23, at American Family Field, with an 8 p.m. Eastern start. FOX lists the U.S. broadcast. An ALCS Game 7 is no longer necessary.

An early lead, then the seventh-inning separation

Richie Palacios supplied the first separation in the second inning. His double brought home Chandler Simpson and Victor Mesa Jr. for a 2-0 lead. Jonny DeLuca's sacrifice fly scored Junior Caminero in the third. Cleveland kept the game close enough to remain dangerous, but it spent the night trying to recover ground rather than protect a lead.

Freddy Peralta worked 5⅓ innings, allowing one run with three strikeouts and three walks on 84 pitches. Nathaniel Lowe's sixth-inning single brought home Chase DeLauter and reduced the deficit to 3-1. Cam Booser finished that inning and worked a scoreless seventh. Peralta did not have to finish the game for his start to leave Tampa Bay in control.

Then Caminero changed the margin. Liam Hicks walked to open the seventh, and Caminero followed with a two-run homer off Cade Smith. The lead became 5-1. Caminero finished 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs and two RBIs. Palacios also had two hits and two RBIs. The two-run double and two-run homer did more than fill a box score: they made Cleveland chase a larger number.

The pennant still needed the last six outs

The eighth was the reminder that a four-run lead is not an automatic finish. DeLauter and Lowe singled against Tyler Wells. Ian Seymour then walked Travis Bazzana and Patrick Bailey, forcing in a run, before hitting Angel Martínez to bring home another. Cleveland was within 5-3 and still had the bases loaded. Kevin Kelly struck out Brayan Rocchio to end the inning. The potential tying and go-ahead runs stayed on base.

Díaz answered in the bottom half. After Taylor Walls walked, Díaz hit a two-run homer off Hunter Gaddis, restoring the four-run advantage at 7-3. Bryan Baker retired Steven Kwan, José Ramírez and DeLauter in order in the ninth. DeLauter's foul pop to Hicks was the final out. The pennant required both Kelly's escape and Baker's clean finish, not simply the last home run.

The teams finished with seven hits apiece. Tampa Bay's two homers drove in four runs, while Cleveland's last two runs came on a walk and a hit batter. The Guardians reached the eighth inning's decisive at-bat with the bases full, and the final four-run margin can make that threat disappear in retrospect. Tampa Bay survived it and answered immediately.