The Cleveland Guardians earned an impressive comeback win in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. They were the better team when everything was said and done, despite falling into a 0-2 hole in the first inning.
The Rays had their best pitcher, AL Cy Young candidate Drew Rasmussen, dealing for the first five frames. Chase DeLauter hit a solo homer in the sixth, Patrick Bailey tied things with a solo blast of his own in the seventh, and the rest of the offense, led by Nathaniel Lowe, Jose Ramirez, and Jo Adell, put the game out of reach in the eighth and ninth innings.
In the process, the Guardians became the first squad to do one specific thing in postseason baseball.
“The [Cleveland Guardians] are the first team in MLB postseason history to get shut out through 5 innings but then score in the 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th,” OptaSTATS posted.
The @CleGuardians are the first team in MLB postseason history to get shut out through 5 innings but then score in the 6th, 7th, 8th & 9th. pic.twitter.com/yrcJ1TzH6n
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 13, 2026
Besides the solo homers in the sixth and seventh frames, Nathaniel Lowe’s two-run single broke a tie in the top of the eighth, and Ramirez’s single and Adell’s double established the final four-run lead in the ninth.
The Guardians attacked the Rays’ bullpen relentlessly, but truth be told, they were also starting to figure out Rasmussen, and the evidence backs that up. After failing miserably in the first two times through the lineup, DeLauter and Bailey had identified the right-hander’s stuff and tendencies, and both of them made him pay.
Cleveland’s offense is in a nice run of form, scoring 27 runs in their last four games, including their series against the Chicago White Sox and the Rays. That’s 6.75 per game, a healthy average that will likely put them in a position to compete every time.
With just a few notable exceptions such as Angel Martinez, Brayan Rocchio, and Travis Bazzana, the rest of the Guardians’ offense is red-hot. The trade acquisitions, such as Jo Adell, Nathaniel Lowe, and Patrick Bailey, have been huge, and Ramirez has been magnificent in the last four games.
Cleveland’s lineup is deep and dangerous, and even if you shut them out for a couple of frames, they will come back, make adjustments, and punish staffs that don’t bring their A-game.
NEXT: Guardians’ Closer Is Quietly Dominating October
