Díaz, Caminero and Peralta lead
Rays to 7-3 win over Guardians and a trip to the World Series
[October 20, 2026]
By ROB MAADDI
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.
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Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Freddy Peralta hold the MVP trophy after
their win against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of an American
League Championship Series baseball game in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
“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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