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Rasmussen adds to historic postseason as Rays go home with ALCS lead

The Tampa Bay Rays extended their historic postseason run with a commanding 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 5 of the ALCS, taking a 3-2 series lead and heading home to Tropicana Field with one win away from their third World Series appearance. Drew Rasmussen delivered another dominant performance, allowing just four hits and one walk while striking out six over seven innings—a stretch that has seen him win 14 of his last 15 starts since the All-Star break, including both postseason outings this year.

His consistency has made him the only pitcher in Rays franchise history to record multiple postseason starts of at least seven innings with one or zero runs allowed, a feat last matched by the Giants’ Logan Webb in 2021. Rasmussen’s dominance extended beyond the regular season, where he posted an 11-0 record, 1.73 ERA, and 99 strikeouts in 93 innings since the break, further cementing his underrated status among baseball’s elite pitchers when healthy.

The Rays’ early run support and Rasmussen’s mastery of the Guardians’ lineup—including just three hard-hit balls all night—set the tone for Tampa Bay’s push toward another championship run.

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