Game 4 between the Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians was postponed on Friday night, and instead, things got underway on Saturday with the Rays looking to even the series while the Guardians push for commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
With All-Star Nick Martinez taking on a bullpen game from Cleveland, this one could have gone any way, and early in the game it was Cleveland that got things going, with Chase DeLauter driving in Steven Kwan in the bottom of the 1st inning, getting the Guardians started on the right note.
For the Guardians, Shawn Armstrong did his job as an opener, getting through one scoreless inning, but with Foster Griffin coming out of the bullpen, the Rays hit back rather quickly, with an RBI single to Jonathan Aranda tying this game in the top of the 3rd inning, temporarily silencing the Cleveland faithful.
Unfortunately for Cleveland, Martinez had well and truly settled in by this point, and after just 5.1 innings of work, his night was over, departing with the 2-1 lead and ending with a statline that looks like this: 5.1 IP, 2H, 1ER, 2BB.
The Rays got that lead back in the top of the sixth inning, and unsurprisingly, it was their biggest star that made it happen, as Junior Caminero laced a double into the left field corner, and this time, it was Aranda coming around to score as the momentum was all on the side of Tampa Bay.
In the top of the 7th inning, the Rays threatened a massive inning that could break this game wide open, with two straight singles from Palacios and Walls putting Tampa Bay in a fantastic position.
From there, it was Aranda once again, as he drove home not one but two with the two-run single, with an error on the play to Chase DeLauter safely helping the Rays double their lead from 2-1 to 4-1, putting them in the drivers seat in Game 4.
For Cleveland fans, the inning was unfortunately not over, as on the play, Aranda also made his way around to 3rd base, giving the speedy Chandler Simpson the perfect opportunity to tack on another one as Tampa Bay look to exert their dominance.
The talented young outfielder did just that, putting a ball in the air that was just deep enough to bring Aranda home, extending the lead to 5-1 as the Rays looked to have this game sewn up, with a potential 2-2 series scoreline after this one.
As we know from their 2-0 American League Division Series comeback against the Chicago White Sox, the Guardians aren't a team to go quietly into the night, with three opportunities to get themselves back into this game as they look to go up 3-1 in the ALCS.
That began in the bottom of the inning, with star rookie Travis Bazzana hitting his first career post-season big fly, and while it was only a solo shot, it injected plenty of life into the Cleveland crowd along with the home team themselves.
That wasn't all for the Guardians in the 7th however, as Patrick Bailey began another rally the following at bat, singling to start a string of three more hits in a row for Cleveland, with the team edging closer and closer to the big inning that they need.
All of those hits led to a clutch play from Brayan Rocchio, who stepped up as the Guardians 9-hole hitter to deliver one of the bigger hits of the night, driving in Bailey as Cleveland showed life, now down just 5-3 heading into the 8th inning.
Once again in the 8th the Guardians threatened, but through Kevin Kelly and Cam Booser, the Rays were able to escape with no harm done as they moved just three outs closer to extending this series and tying the ALCS up 2-2.
In the top of the 9th frame, the Rays gave themselves some much needed breathing room, as it was now time for Tampa Bay to leave the yard courtesy of a two-run home run from Yandy Diaz, who doubled the Rays lead to 7-3.
This all led to the bottom of the 9th inning, the last chance for the Guardians to mount a major comeback, but with Tampa Bay turning to Bryan Baker, it was never going to be easy for Cleveland to get themselves to 3-1 in the series.
Leading off the inning with a single was Bazzana, and the people in Cleveland dared to dream of an improbable comeback. Unfortunately for those fans, the very next hitter saw Bailey ground into a double play, and as a result, the team were one out away, with Baker swiftly finishing off the last hitter as the Rays come away victorious 7-3.
Following the postponed game, Game 5 will now take place on Sunday night, and while things have changed a little, the series is now tied at one, essentially becoming a best of three between arguably the two deepest teams in the American League this season.
Tomorrow is a new day, and both teams will look to head back to Tampa Bay for Game 6 with the crucial 3-2 series lead, but for now, it's the Rays celebrating as they've pushed the ALCS to at least six games with a dominant victory on Saturday night.
