*Photo from Sportsnaut*
Cleveland leads series 1-0
In a series with both teams leaning heavily on pitching, one swing can change the whole game. Shane Bieber dazzled, Jose Ramirez homered, and the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays with a 2-1 victory on Friday afternoon in Cleveland.
With every game of this wild card round taking place in Cleveland, the Guardians wanted to make an early statement ahead of at least one more home game. That they did, handcuffing the Rays offense behind Bieber. The offense was snakebit as well, but Ramirez took it upon himself to bring home a win.
Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said of Ramirez that "There's a lot of guys that made some names for themselves this year, which is awesome. But it's clear as day who the MVP of this team is. When that guy's hitting in the three-hole for you and playing third base every day, on the basepaths, in the clubhouse, everything he does, he's our energy. He's our MVP, and we ride with him."
By winning the opening game of the series, the Guardians snap an 8 game postseason losing streak, dating all the way back to the 2017 ALDS against the New York Yankees. They lost 3 straight with a 2-0 series lead, then were swept 3-0 by the Houston Astros in 2018, and again by the Yankees in the 2020 wild card round.
The first 5 innings of play went scoreless, as both pitching heavy teams went into a pitchers duel. In the top half of the 6th inning, Jose Siri struck for the Rays, connecting on a solo home run to right center field, giving the Rays a 1-0 lead after 5 1/2 innings.
But, when the bottom of the 6th came around, it was time for the Guardians to shine. Amed Rosario did his job and got on base, paving the way for the superstar Ramirez. Shine he did, blasting a go ahead and game winning two run home run, giving the Guardians a 2-1 lead after 6 innings. The pitching did the rest to seal the game one win.
Ramirez said of his decisive at bat "Yeah, that was my plan, just look for that changeup. He got me twice with the same pitch, because it's a really good pitch. It really resembles a fastball. So I was just sitting on that pitch and I was just trying not to do too much, just put it on the opposing side of the field, and I was able to get good contact on that."
It was Bieber getting the playoff opening start for the Guardians, and he did not disappoint. Bieber allowed just one run on 3 hits and one walk, striking out 8 hitters in 7 2/3 innings. Closer Emmanuel Clase was the only reliever to appear, getting the final 4 outs for the save.
For the Rays, ace Shane McClanahan was on the mound, and he went toe for toe with Bieber. McClanahan allowed two runs on 7 hits, striking out 5 hitters in 7 innings. Garrett Cleavinger pitched a scoreless 8th inning out of the bullpen, his first career playoff appearance.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said that "We need to be resilient. I'm very confident in this group, that they will respond the way they need to and compete and give us a good opportunity to win. I thought we saw just two really great pitching performances. I'm really proud of our Shane, and their Shane was pretty special."
Up next, game two of the series is on Saturday afternoon in Cleveland. There, the Guardians will look to sweep the Rays and advance to the ALDS, while the Rays look to win and force a decisive game 3 on Sunday.
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