The Tampa Bay Rays are going back to the World Series. Behind Junior Caminero’s first career postseason home run, Freddy Peralta’s gutsy start and a late insurance shot from Yandy Diaz, the Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 in Game 6 of the ALCS on Monday night at Tropicana Field, winning the series 4-2 and capturing the American League pennant. It is Tampa Bay’s third trip to the Fall Classic, after 2008 and 2020, and sets up a World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers that will guarantee a first-time champion.

The Rays opened the scoring early and never trailed. In the second inning, Caminero singled off Cleveland opener Shawn Armstrong, Chandler Simpson reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second, Victor Mesa Jr. walked, and Richie Palacios — who began his big-league career with Cleveland — ripped a two-run double to put Tampa Bay ahead 2-0. An inning later, Caminero came around to score on a Jonny DeLuca sacrifice fly, stretching the lead to 3-0.

Cleveland got on the board in the sixth when Nathaniel Lowe delivered an RBI single, trimming the deficit to 3-1. But the seventh belonged to Caminero. The 23-year-old third baseman, who hit 42 home runs in the regular season, crushed a two-run shot off reliever Cade Smith that struck the foul pole — his first career postseason home run — restoring a four-run cushion at 5-1. Caminero slapped his chest and crossed home plate with his arms folded, a nod to Randy Arozarena, who was in the crowd at Tropicana Field.

The Guardians made things tense in the eighth. Reliever Ian Seymour walked in a run to Patrick Bailey with the bases loaded and then hit Angel Rodriguez, cutting Tampa Bay’s lead to 5-3. But Kevin Kelly came on and struck out Brayan Rocchio to snuff out the rally. Diaz then hammered a two-run homer off Hunter Gaddis over the left-field wall, pushing the Rays’ lead to 7-3 — a call Diaz had effectively predicted after Game 5 when he said, “we’re going to win tomorrow.” Bryan Baker retired the side in order in the ninth to lock up the pennant.

Peralta pitches the Rays into the Fall Classic

Peralta gave the Rays exactly what they needed on the biggest stage. The right-hander worked 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits and three walks while striking out three, steadying Tampa Bay through the early frames of the clincher. Across the series he went 2-0 in three appearances — two of them starts — covering 12 innings with one run allowed, nine hits and nine strikeouts, earning ALCS MVP honors.

The storyline writes itself: Peralta spent eight seasons as a Brewer, was traded to the Mets ahead of the 2026 season, and was dealt to Tampa Bay at the deadline. Now he gets to face his former club with the Commissioner’s Trophy on the line.

Rays win ALCS in front of a home crowd that matters

Owner Patrick Zalupski praised the franchise’s engine room afterward: “We’ve got the best baseball organization in the world … this entire organization works tirelessly to put the best team on the field to compete every day, in and out,” he said. Manager Kevin Cash credited the fans: “They’ve been incredible all season long. All of the fans who come into this ballpark, they’ve seen it. We’ve known it and they just went out and proved it this month.”

The celebration carried extra weight given where this team has been. The Rays played their 2025 home games in a minor-league stadium after hurricane damage to Tropicana Field, and clinching the pennant in their repaired home ballpark in 2026 completed a back-home redemption arc few franchises get to experience. The 98-win Rays (98-64), champions of the AL East with a $98.3 million payroll that ranked 25th in the majors, will be underdogs again: the Brewers (103-59) own the best record in baseball after sweeping the Dodgers in the NLCS.

Guardians’ bullpen gamble falls short

Cleveland went with a bullpen game and simply ran out of outs. Armstrong opened with a scoreless-adjacent first (one run, one hit in one inning), but the Guardians burned through eight pitchers in all, with Tim Herrin covering two-thirds of an inning and allowing a run. Manager Stephen Vogt declined to use Gavin Williams on short rest, and the strategy left Cleveland chasing from the second inning on. The Guardians’ season ends one round short of the World Series after taking the series lead with a Game 3 win, then dropping three straight — including a Game 4 loss that tied the series and set up Tampa Bay’s clincher.

What’s next

The World Series is set: Rays vs. Brewers, with a first-time champion guaranteed. Game 1 is Friday, October 23, at 8:00 PM ET at American Family Field in Milwaukee, broadcast on Fox. Games 1 and 2 are in Milwaukee, Games 3, 4 and 5 at Tropicana Field, and Games 6 and 7 — if necessary — back in Milwaukee. The Rays were there in 2008, losing to the Phillies, and in 2020, losing to the Dodgers. The Brewers, in their first Fall Classic since 1982, will be waiting.