Guardians vs Rays open ALCS Game 1: rested Tampa faces comeback Cleveland
Key takeaways
- Game 1 of the 2026 ALCS started at 8 p.m. ET on October 12 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Tampa Bay starts ace Drew Rasmussen. Cleveland answers with lefty Foster Griffin, a midseason trade pickup.
- The winner takes a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series for a spot in the World Series.
The Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays opened the 2026 American League Championship Series (ALCS) on Monday night. The final score was not confirmed at the time of writing. First pitch was set for 8 PM ET (5 AM PKT on October 13) at Tropicana Field, according to the New York Post.
This is a seven-game playoff series. The team that wins four games first goes to the World Series. A "best-of-seven" means both teams can play up to seven games, but four wins end it early.
The pitching matchup: Rasmussen vs Griffin
A starting pitcher is the player who throws the ball from the mound when the game begins. He usually decides how the game starts. Tampa Bay gives the ball to Drew Rasmussen.
Cleveland starts Foster Griffin.
Rasmussen is the Rays' ace, which means he is their best and most trusted starter. He was brilliant in Game 1 of the last round. He took a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the New York Yankees.
A no-hitter means the other team had zero hits, which is rare. He struck out 10 batters in that 1-0 win, according to DraftKings Network. A strikeout happens when the batter misses or is called out on three strikes.
Rasmussen finished the regular season with a 16-5 record and a 2.67 ERA, according to the New York Post. ERA means earned run average, which shows how many runs a pitcher gives up per nine innings. Lower is better.
A 2.67 ERA was among the best in baseball this year. He has already beaten Cleveland twice this season, the Post reported. In their last meeting on July 26, he threw seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts, according to DraftKings Network.
Cleveland's answer is Foster Griffin, a left-hander. Left-handed pitchers throw with their left hand. That matters because the Rays were only 25th in baseball against left-handed pitching this season, with a .679 OPS, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
OPS is a hitting stat that combines getting on base and power. Tampa also hit 133 of its 169 home runs against right-handers, the paper reported. So Cleveland picked a lefty on purpose.
Griffin was not even on the team all year. The Guardians got him from the Washington Nationals in a midseason trade. He was an All-Star this season before the trade, the Beacon Journal reported.
He finished 15-6 with a 3.61 ERA, according to the New York Post. In the last series, he came out of the bullpen and struck out seven of 11 batters in Game 3. The bullpen is the group of backup pitchers.
Manager Stephen Vogt trusts him now in the biggest game of the season so far.
How both teams got here
The Rays had the easy road. They swept the New York Yankees 3-0 in the AL Division Series (ALDS). In the final game on October 7, Victor Mesa Jr hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to break a 4-3 tie, USA Today reported.
Closer Bryan Baker finished the game. A closer is the pitcher who throws the last inning to protect a lead. Baker had 41 saves in the regular season, tied for the most in the American League, according to USA Today.
The Rays had the best record in the American League this season. They have been resting since October 7.
The Guardians had the hard road. They lost the first two games of their series against the Chicago White Sox. Then they won three straight to take it.
That kind of comeback is rare in a five-game series. Jose Ramirez hit the big home run in the final game. Gavin Williams was outstanding on the mound in that game too, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
But the comeback cost Cleveland its top arms. Parker Messick and Gavin Williams, their two best starters, are not ready for Game 1. They threw too many pitches against the White Sox.
That is why the team picked Griffin for the opener, the Beacon Journal reported. Messick and Williams should be ready for Games 2 and 3.
Why it matters
Game 1 sets the tone. The Rays won the season series 5-1 against Cleveland. They scored 20 runs and gave up only 8 in those six games, according to the Beacon Journal.
Tampa also won 13 more games in the regular season. The oddsmakers (people who set betting prices) made Tampa a -170 favorite, according to the New York Post. That means most people expected Tampa to win Game 1.
Still, rest can cut both ways. The Rays have not played since October 7. Long breaks can make a team's timing rusty.
Cleveland is hot right now. They just won three do-or-die games in a row. Their lineup is in its best shape of the year, the Beacon Journal noted.
Both Beacon Journal writers picked the Rays to win the series 4-2. They pointed to Tampa's pitching depth and rest. But they also said the Guardians are hard to finish off.
This is the second time in three years that Cleveland has reached the final four teams. They are one step from the World Series again.
The other championship series is also underway. Check how the Dodgers took Game 1 of the NLCS in Milwaukee. The winners of the two series meet in the World Series.
While Tom Brady criticized Sam Darnold and the broadcast booth this week, baseball fans are watching a classic small-ball matchup instead.
What happens next
Game 2 is on Tuesday, October 13, at 8 PM ET, also at Tropicana Field. Both games air on TBS, according to the New York Post. Cleveland is expected to have Parker Messick ready for Game 2, and Gavin Williams lined up for Game 3.
The series then moves to Cleveland for Game 3 on Thursday, October 15, at 6 PM ET. Game 4 follows on Friday, October 16, at 6 PM ET. If the series is not decided, the last three games are set for October 17, 19, and 20.
The winner of this series plays the winner of the Dodgers-Brewers NLCS in the World Series.
A Game 1 win matters most in a short series. The team that takes the opener needs only three more wins. For Tampa, it means holding serve at home.
For Cleveland, it means stealing one on the road with their third-best starter. Either way, October baseball is just getting started.
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