Rays bullpen suffers embarrassing late meltdown as Cleveland bullies Tampa Bay in Game 1

The Tampa Bay Rays' bullpen struggled in the late innings of Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, allowing five runs over the final two frames to give the Cleveland Guardians a 7-3 victory.

The game got off to a strong start for the Rays, who drew first blood with two runs in the top of the first inning. Junior Caminero and Jonny DeLuca each drove in a run with RBI hits to put Tampa Bay up 2-0. Rays starter Drew Rasmussen kept the lead intact through five innings, striking out seven batters.

However, Cleveland finally broke through against Rasmussen in the sixth inning, when Chase DeLauter hit a solo home run to right-center field. The Guardians continued to apply pressure in the seventh, with Patrick Bailey tying the game with a solo home run down the right-field line.

The game turned in Cleveland's favor in the eighth inning, when Jose Ramirez led off with a hustle infield single and DeLauter followed with a double down the line. Nathaniel Lowe then laced a go-ahead, two-run single to put the Guardians up 4-2.

The Rays answered with a solo home run by Cedric Mullins in the bottom of the eighth, but Cleveland sealed the win in the ninth inning. Jose Ramirez delivered the decisive blow with an RBI single to right, and Kevin Kelly followed by hitting a two-run double down the third-base line to put the game out of reach.