Former Brewers pitcher leads Rays within one game of World Series

The Tampa Bay Rays are within one game of reaching the World Series, as they secured a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series. With the Rays having a 3-2 lead, they will face the Cleveland Guardians in the upcoming game, needing only a single win to clinch their spot in the World Series and their third AL pennant.

Newcomer Drew Rasmussen, formerly a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, was instrumental in the Rays' win, holding the Guardians to just one hit until the sixth inning. Rasmussen allowed only one earned run on four hits over seven innings, with Chase DeLauter contributing an RBI groundout in the sixth. The Rays scored single runs in each of the first three innings, with Jonny DeLuca drawing a bases-loaded walk, Jonathan Aranda singling in a run, and Liam Hicks adding an RBI single.

Cleveland's Parker Messick pitched just two innings, yielding five hits and two walks, leading to two earned runs and three strikeouts for the Guardians. The Rays will likely rely on Freddy Peralta, a former Milwaukee ace traded to the Rays at the deadline, to secure the series on Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.