Tampa Bay defeats Cleveland, advances to World Series for first time in six years! Milwaukee, step up → First championship challenge [ALCS Game 6 Review]

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The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians to step onto the World Series (WS) stage for the first time in six years, since the 2020 season.

On the 20th (Korean time), at Tropicana Field located in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, Tampa Bay won 7-3 in Game 6 of the "2026 Major League Baseball American League Championship Series (ALCS · best-of-seven series)."

With this victory, Tampa Bay secured a spot in the World Series by defeating Cleveland with a series record of four wins and two losses. It is the team's third WS appearance in franchise history, following 2008 and 2020. Having fallen short to the Philadelphia Phillies (2008) and the LA Dodgers (2020) in their previous two attempts, Tampa Bay now aims squarely for its first championship trophy. Their opponent will be the Milwaukee Brewers, who advanced after sweeping the Dodgers in four straight games in the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

Tampa Bay also scored the first run. In the bottom of the second inning, with a 0-0 tie and runners on second and third bases with two outs, Rich Palacios hit a lead-off two-run double to take the lead. In the bottom of the third inning, off a bases-loaded opportunity created by two hits and a walk, Johnny DeLuca's sacrifice fly to left field added another run. Meanwhile, Cleveland had scoring chances in the top of the fourth inning with a double by Joe Adel and a walk by Nathaniel Lowe, but failed to sustain momentum when Patrick Bailey hit into a shortstop double play with runners on first and second bases and one out.

Cleveland began its pursuit by recovering one run in the top of the sixth inning with a RBI single by Lowe with a runner on second base and one out. However, the Tampa Bay lineup drove a wedge into the game with home runs in the latter half. In the bottom of the seventh inning, with no outs and a runner on first base, Junior Caminero launched a decisive two-run home run against closer Kade Smith, who was brought in early by Cleveland as a strategic gamble.

Leading 5-1, Tampa Bay gave up two runs via consecutive bases-loaded walks in the top of the eighth inning with two outs and the bases loaded, allowing the score to tighten to 5-3, but held onto the lead without further concessions. After weathering the crisis, Tampa Bay solidified its victory when Yandy Diaz drew a decisive two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Feralta, who started on the mound that day, led the team to victory with an impressive performance of 5⅓ innings pitched, five hits allowed, three strikeouts, and one earned run. On the offensive side, Caminero went 2-for-3 (one home run) with two RBIs, Palacios went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Diaz went 1-for-4 (one home run) with two RBIs, delivering high-value performances at crucial moments. Cleveland's "bullpen day" strategy of deploying eight pitchers in a total-effort battle failed to contain Tampa Bay's firepower.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original