The Cleveland Guardians had every excuse to come out flat in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. Just two days earlier, they finished off an exhausting comeback against the White Sox in a winner take all Game 5 at Progressive Field. They flew to Florida, worked out at Tropicana Field on Sunday and then found themselves trailing the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 before they recorded an out in the bottom of the first inning on Monday night. Instead of fading, Cleveland fought back and pulled away for a 7-3 win to take a one-game lead in the best of seven series. Stephen Vogt met with reporters after the game and gave credit to everyone who helped turn things around.
“We came off an emotional series. Had a quick turnaround, but these guys come ready to play every day. I couldn’t be more proud of them. We got punched early, and our pitching staff, credit to them for stopping it and keeping us in the game as long as they did. Then the offense came alive. I thought we had great at-bats the whole game. Really good job by our offense,” Vogt said.
Cleveland #Guardians manager Stephen Vogt addresses the media after his team's ALCS Game 1 win over the Rays.#StandGuard pic.twitter.com/IZ2hiw49Jk
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) October 13, 2026
The early punch was a hard one. Tampa Bay sent eight batters to the plate in the first inning against Foster Griffin, scoring twice and loading the bases before Griffin struck out Taylor Walls to escape. It could have been much worse, and Griffin made sure it was not. He allowed just one hit over his next three innings, and the bullpen followed with five innings of one-run ball. Daniel Espino set the tone by striking out the top three hitters in the Rays’ lineup in order in the fifth.
Vogt’s comment about the at bats was just as accurate. Even while Drew Rasmussen kept them off the board early, the Guardians consistently put runners on base, collecting singles in each of the first four innings. Tampa Bay needed a couple of strong defensive plays to keep Cleveland quiet. Eventually, the pressure paid off. Chase DeLauter led off the sixth with a homer, and Patrick Bailey did the same in the seventh to tie the game. In the eighth, Nathaniel Lowe lined a two-run single against left-hander Ian Seymour for the lead, and Jo Adell’s two-run double highlighted a three-run ninth inning that put the game away. Cleveland finished with fourteen hits.
Responding after taking a hit has become the identity of this team. Vogt said after Game 4 of the division series that the Guardians talk about punching back, and they have done it over and over. They answered a 70-70 record in early September by winning the division. They answered an 0-2 hole against the White Sox by winning three straight elimination games. On Monday, they answered a two-run first inning.
The win extended Cleveland’s postseason winning streak to four games, the franchise’s longest since the 2016 team won six straight on the way to the World Series. History is also on the Guardians’ side now, as teams that win Game 1 of a best of seven series have gone on to win 127 out of 197 times.
Game 2 is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field, with Parker Messick taking the ball for Cleveland against Rays right hander Freddy Peralta. If the Rays land the first punch again, Vogt clearly trusts his team to swing back.
NEXT: Guardians’ Game 1 Win Was Powered By Two Unlikely Heroes
