By ROB MAADDI AP Sports Writer
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Yandy Díaz’s bat backed up 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 gritty innings and the Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night to win their third pennant in 29 seasons as a major league franchise.
The Rays will face the NL champion Milwaukee Brewers in the first matchup in which both teams are seeking their first World Series title since 1980, when the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals.
Game 1 is Friday night in Milwaukee.
“We got one more bite!” Rays manager Kevin Cash told his team as the clubhouse celebration started.
Díaz, who guaranteed a Game 6 victory through an interpreter on Sunday, made sure the Rays wouldn’t let this one slip away. He gave them a four-run lead with a 416-foot shot off Hunter Gaddis in the eighth.
“Yandy had a claim to back and he did his part,” Rays President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander said. “That was unbelievable.”
Díaz’s drive to left field all but wrapped up 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 backed it up, that’s for sure,” Cash said. “We know when Yandy goes, our offense seems to really take off.”
The loss by Cleveland extended its 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. Really felt like we had a team to go and just weren’t able to get there.”
On the 18-year anniversary of their first AL pennant in 2008, the Rays jumped ahead 2-0 in the second on Richie Palacios’ two-run double and clinched it with closer Bryan Baker on the mound.
The Guardians wouldn’t give up and had the go-ahead run at first base in the eighth when Kevin Kelly struck out Brayan Rocchio to leave the bases loaded after two runs had 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 threw six scoreless innings to win Game 2 and got 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. “This is not only mine. We all earned this. This is for the boys.”
A sellout crowd of 40,230 fans waved yellow-and-blue rally towels, rang cowbells and chanted “Let’s go Rays!” throughout the night at Tropicana Field, which needed major renovations after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof two years ago and caused extensive damage throughout the stadium.
The Rays played their 2025 home games across the bay in Tampa at the New York Yankees’ spring training complex, got new ownership before this season and secured a new stadium deal for a ballpark to be ready in 2029 near the NFL’s Buccaneers. They returned to the Trop to win 55 games in the regular season. Only the Brewers had that many home wins this year.
“This is for you!” Caminero yelled to the crowd from a microphone on the field 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 this series before taking three straight games.
Caminero gave Tampa Bay a cushion with his first career postseason homer in the seventh. The two-time All-Star sent a drive off the left-field foul pole to make it 5-1, becoming the first player to go deep on a splitter by All-Star closer Cade Smith.
The slugger turned around before reaching first base, looked toward his dugout and pounded his chest with both arms, cupped his ear rounding second to hear more cheers, stopped before reaching the plate, pointed into the stands at former Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena and imitated his crossed-arms pose before touching home.
“I saw him and I told him — before I got to home plate, I said: `Look at me,’ and I hit a homer. I said, `He called it,'” Caminero said.
“My guy. Come (with) me every game,” Caminero added. “Travel with us for Milwaukee.”
Caminero hit 42 homers in the regular season but needed 33 at-bats to get his first in October.
The Guardians answered 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 in one run and hit Angel Martínez with a pitch to force in another. Kelly entered and fanned Rocchio on three changeups.
“Credit to our guys. It’s a gut punch there in the seventh. And our guys came right back,” Vogt said. “Our guys never quit. They never stopped fighting. That’s who they are.”
Caminero led off the Tampa Bay second with single off opener Shawn Armstrong, who took the loss in his second start in three games. Left-hander Tim Herrin replaced Armstrong. Chandler Simpson reached on 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 looped 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 both of the previous two days.
DeLuca’s sacrifice fly off Joey Cantillo made it 3-0 in the third but the Rays missed an opportunity to break it open after they loaded the bases with no outs.
Nathaniel Lowe’s RBI single in the sixth drove in Cleveland’s first run.
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