Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero celebrates his victory against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
David J. Phillip/AP
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David J. Phillip/AP
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Yandy Díaz’s bat proved his boast and the Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the World Series again.
Díaz and Junior Caminero each hit a two-run homer, Freddy Peralta pitched 5 1/3 innings and the Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series Monday night to win their third pennant in 29 seasons as a major league franchise.
The Rays will face the National League champion Milwaukee Brewers in the first matchup in which both teams will attempt to win their first World Series title since 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Kansas City Royals.
The first game will take place Friday evening in Milwaukee.
“We still have one more bite!” » Rays manager Kevin Cash told his team as the clubhouse celebration began.
Díaz, who guaranteed a Game 6 victory thanks to an interpreter on Sunday, made sure the Rays wouldn’t let this one slip away. He gave them a four-point lead with a 416-foot shot to Hunter Gaddis in the eighth.
“Yandy had a case to make and he did his part,” Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. “It was incredible.”
Díaz’s push to left field all but ended Tampa Bay’s first World Series appearance since losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six games at the end of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
“I’m really glad he supported it, that’s for sure,” Cash said. “We know when Yandy goes, our offense really seems to take off.”
Cleveland’s loss extended the World Series championship drought to 78 years.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our group,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “It just hurts. It stings. I really felt like we had a team in front of us and we just weren’t able to get there.”
On the 18th anniversary of their first AL pennant in 2008, the Rays took a 2-0 lead in the second on Richie Palacios’ two-run double and clinched it with closer Bryan Baker on the mound.
The Guardians didn’t give up and got the go-ahead run on first base in the eighth when Kevin Kelly struck out Brayan Rocchio to leave the bases loaded after two runs had been scored earlier in the inning.
Peralta, the ALCS MVP, allowed one run and five hits to earn his second win of the series in his third appearance. He pitched six scoreless innings to win Game 2 and had two critical outs in relief in Game 4.
“I’m very happy to be here, to be part of this great group and this great organization,” said Peralta, acquired from the New York Mets before the trade deadline in early August. “It’s not just mine. We all deserved it. It’s for the boys.”
A sold-out crowd of 40,230 waved yellow and blue rally towels, rang cowbells and chanted “Let’s go Rays!” » all night at Tropicana Field, which was in need of major renovations after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof two years ago and caused extensive damage throughout the stadium.
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta holds the MVP trophy after his victory against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of an American League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla., Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
David J. Phillip/AP
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David J. Phillip/AP
The Rays played their 2025 home games across Tampa Bay at the New York Yankees’ spring training complex, got a new owner before this season and agreed to a new stadium deal to have a stadium ready in 2029 near the NFL’s Buccaneers. They returned to the Trop to win 55 games in the regular season. Only the Brewers have won as many at home this year.
“This is for you!” Caminero shouted to the crowd from an on-court microphone after the game. “Let’s go! I can’t hear you!”
After sweeping the New York Yankees in the Division Series, the Rays fell behind the Guardians 1-0 and 2-1 in that series before winning three straight games.
Caminero gave Tampa Bay a cushion with his first career postseason home run in the seventh. The two-time All-Star sent a drive from the left-field foul pole to make it 5-1, becoming the first player to go deep on a splitter from All-Star closer Cade Smith.
The slugger turned around before reaching first base, looked toward his dugout and thumped his chest with both arms, turned his ear around to hear more cheers, stopped before reaching home plate, pointed into the stands at former Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena and mimicked his crossed-arms pose before touching home.
“I saw him and I told him: Before I got to the plate, I said, ‘Look at me,’ and I hit a home run. I said, ‘He called it,'” Caminero said.
“My guy. Come (with) me to every game,” Caminero added. “Travel with us to Milwaukee.”
Caminero hit 42 home runs in the regular season, but needed 33 at-bats to get his first in October.
The Guardians responded against Tyler Wells and Ian Seymour by loading the bases with two outs in the eighth on two singles and a walk. Seymour walked Patrick Bailey to force a run and hit Angel Martínez with a pitch to force another. Kelly came in and fanned Rocchio during three changes.
“It’s because of our guys. It was a punch in the gut in the seventh. And our guys came right back,” Vogt said. “Our guys never gave up. They never stopped fighting. That’s who they are.”
Caminero led Tampa Bay’s second game with Shawn Armstrong, who suffered the loss in his second start in three games. Left-hander Tim Herrin replaced Armstrong. Chandler Simpson picked off a fielder’s choice and stole second before Victor Mesa Jr. walked. Simpson advanced to third on Jonny DeLuca’s flyout to center. After Mesa stole second, Palacios hit a double to right center for a 2-0 lead.
Armstrong, also the opener in Game 4, faced the first four batters, becoming the first pitcher in postseason history to start a game after pitching the previous two days.
DeLuca’s sacrifice fly to Joey Cantillo made it 3-0 in the third, but the Rays missed a chance to break it open after loading the bases with no outs.
Nathaniel Lowe’s RBI single in the sixth led to Cleveland’s first run.
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