Tampa Bay levels the series

Tampa Bay evened the American League Championship Series at one game apiece with a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday, 13 October, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The announced crowd was 32,125. The Rays manufactured their three unearned runs in the fourth inning, which started with a walk to Junior Caminero. Victor Mesa Jr. reached on a forceout that a video review overturned at first base, and Chandler Simpson beat out a chopper to shortstop. Mesa advanced to third when third baseman José Ramírez failed to cover the bag. Ben Williamson's grounder then rolled between Ramírez's legs after striking the seam where the turf met the dirt, and Liam Hicks followed with a two-run single to right-center that put Tampa Bay ahead 3-0.

Peralta and the bullpen hold the lead

Freddy Peralta worked six innings, allowed four hits and struck out six, and the crowd chanted his name as he walked off the mound in the sixth. The outing was the longest of his postseason career and his best in the playoffs. The Rays acquired him from the Mets at the trade deadline, and he went 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts for Tampa Bay after posting a 4.99 ERA for New York.

Kevin Kelly retired Ramírez on a fly ball to center in the seventh with two runners on. Ian Seymour then allowed an RBI double by Chase DeLauter into the right-field corner, cutting the Rays' lead to 3-1, but he struck out Jo Adell with runners left at second and third. Seymour pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, and Bryan Baker closed the ninth for his fourth postseason save.

Game 1 and the Rasmussen decision

The Rays lost Game 1 at home on Monday, 12 October, 7-3, after leading 2-0. Drew Rasmussen gave up a leadoff homer to Chase DeLauter in the sixth, and manager Kevin Cash sent him back out for the seventh after 90 pitches through six innings. Patrick Bailey's first-pitch homer, traveling 436 feet to center field, tied the game. Rasmussen said he had told Cash he was fine to keep pitching:

Cashy checked in with me and I told him I was good

Cleveland took a 4-2 lead in the eighth, and the Rays trimmed the deficit to 4-3 before the Guardians pulled away in the ninth. Ramírez's RBI single and Jo Adell's two-run double, which came after Junior Caminero left third base to cover the bag, made the final score 7-3.

What comes next

The series moves to Cleveland, where Game 3 is scheduled for Thursday, 15 October. Cash faced questions over the seventh-inning decision, and he had earlier drawn criticism for pulling Blake Snell in Game 6 of the 2020 World Series while the Rays were leading. The Rays had four days off after sweeping the New York Yankees in the Division Series, and Game 1 was their first deficit of this postseason.