Freddy Peralta pitched six innings of four-hit ball as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 on Tuesday night, leveling the American League Championship Series at one game apiece. The best-of-seven series now shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Thursday.
The decisive moment came in the fourth inning when a misplay by Guardians third baseman José Ramírez led to three unearned runs against rookie left-hander Parker Messick. The sequence began with Junior Caminero drawing a walk, followed by Victor Mesa Jr. reaching base after a forceout call was overturned on video review. After a strikeout, Chandler Simpson beat out an infield chopper, allowing Mesa to advance to third base when Ramírez failed to cover the bag. Ben Williamson then hit a grounder that slipped between Ramírez’s legs near the transition from dirt to artificial turf, leading to two more baserunners and the unearned runs.
Ramírez explained through a translator that the speed of the surface and the ball’s bounce at the turf’s edge complicated the play. “I was playing parallel to the base,” he said. “The ball bounced right on the edge between the dirt and the turf, and that’s what made it a little more difficult for me. I tried to knock it down.”
Following the error-strewn inning, Liam Hicks delivered a key two-run single to right-center field, giving the Rays a 3-0 advantage in front of a lively crowd of 32,125 at Tropicana Field. Guardians manager Stephen Vogt acknowledged the fielding mistakes that contributed to the deficit, calling them "sloppy plays" that Cleveland needed to correct.
Peralta, acquired by Tampa Bay from the New York Mets at the trade deadline, improved his postseason record with the Rays, registering five wins, two losses, and a 3.25 ERA in 10 starts following a challenging regular season with New York. On Tuesday, he struck out six batters and displayed noticeable emotion after retiring the side in the sixth inning.
Kevin Kelly followed Peralta in relief, retiring two batters before yielding an RBI double to Chase Delauter later in the seventh. Ian Seymour, a native of Westborough and familiar with Tropicana Field, replaced Kelly and delivered a strong performance. He struck out Jo Adell and pitched a perfect eighth inning. Bryan Baker closed out the game with a flawless ninth inning for his fourth postseason save.
Messick, who grew up attending Rays games, took the loss after allowing six hits and three unearned runs over five innings. The Guardians had entered the game riding a four-game postseason winning streak, their longest since opening playoffs 6-0 in 2016 en route to a World Series appearance.
The series now moves to Progressive Field in Cleveland, where both teams will look to gain the upper hand in the pivotal Game 3 matchup.