Guardians Take Game 1 of ALCS, Make a Little History Along the Way

The Cleveland Guardians opened the American League Championship Series with a 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series, and making some franchise history in the process.

The win was Cleveland’s first-ever road victory in Game 1 of the ALCS. The Guardians are now 2-5 all-time in ALCS openers, with their only other Game 1 win coming in 2016 against Toronto.

Cleveland has also now won four straight postseason games after dropping the first two games of the ALDS against the White Sox. That four-game streak is tied for the second-longest postseason winning streak in franchise history, behind only a six-game run in 2016.

The Guardians trailed 2-0 early, but chipped away before breaking the game open late. Chase DeLauter hit his first career postseason home run in the sixth inning, then added a double in the eighth. He has now hit safely in five straight postseason games, tied for the longest active streak this postseason.

Patrick Bailey tied the game in the seventh with a solo home run that traveled 436 feet, the longest homer of his career.

Then in the eighth, Nathaniel Lowe delivered a two-run single to give Cleveland a 4-2 lead.

And José Ramírez kept doing José Ramírez things.

Ramírez went 3-for-5 and added an RBI single in the ninth. He has now reached base safely in 13 consecutive postseason games, the third-longest streak in Cleveland postseason history, behind only Steven Kwan and Jim Thome. He has also scored a run in five straight playoff games.

Cleveland’s starting pitching has also been remarkably steady. Through the team’s first six postseason games, Guardians starters have allowed two runs or fewer in every game.

The series continues Tuesday night in Tampa Bay.  Game time 8 p.m.

And here’s one stat Guardians fans will like heading into Game 2: teams that have taken a 2-0 lead on the road in the ALCS have gone on to win the series eight out of nine times in the best-of-seven era.