The Rays and Guardians opened their ALCS best-of-seven series with Cleveland rallying for a 7-3 Game 1 win at Tropicana Field behind solo home runs from Chase DeLauter and Patrick Bailey, plus late production from José Ramírez and Nathaniel Lowe. Tampa Bay, the AL’s top seed at 98-64, had taken a 2-0 lead on RBI singles from Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca before Cedric Mullins added a solo shot; the Rays otherwise managed just four hits after the first inning against a Cleveland bullpen that tossed five scoreless frames. Game 2 features rookie left-hander Parker Messick for the Guardians against right-hander Freddy Peralta for Tampa Bay, with the series shifting to Progressive Field for Games 3-5. Power threats such as Caminero, Yandy Díaz, and Ramírez enter with strong recent playoff form and favorable platoon or park factors at the Trop, while bullpen usage and late-inning matchups will shape opportunities for long balls through the remainder of the series.