Game result and context
Tampa Bay Rays beat Cleveland Guardians 3-1 in ALCS Game 2 to even series 1-1
A three-run fourth inning was all the Tampa Bay Rays needed in a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the AL Championship Series. Freddy Peralta threw six scoreless innings, Liam Hicks drove in two runs, and the best-of-seven series is now tied 1-1.
Final result
The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 on October 13, 2026, at Tropicana Field in Game 2 of the AL Championship Series. The game went the regulation nine innings.
Both teams now stand at 1-1, and the series is level heading into Game 3.
How the game changed
The first three innings went scoreless before Tampa Bay broke through with three runs in the bottom of the fourth. That inning decided the game.
Cleveland did not get on the board until the seventh, when it scored its lone run. The Guardians were held scoreless in the eighth and ninth, and the Rays did not add to their lead after the fourth. Neither team hit a home run.
Key performances
Freddy Peralta set the tone for Tampa Bay, working six scoreless innings with six strikeouts to earn the win. Ian Seymour followed with 1.1 scoreless innings and two strikeouts, picking up a hold.
Liam Hicks went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, accounting for most of the Rays' offense. Jonny DeLuca added two hits in four at-bats.
For Cleveland, Parker Messick pitched five innings with three strikeouts and allowed no earned runs, but he was charged with the loss. Chase DeLauter went 1-for-2 and drove in the Guardians' only run.
Season and playoff context
This was a postseason game, Game 2 of a best-of-seven AL Championship Series. It was not a series clincher.
Series context
With the win, Tampa Bay evened the series at one game each. The Rays and Guardians are both 1-1 in the series, which leaves the pennant race back where it started with as many as five games left to play.