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Guardians Beat Rays 3-2 in Game 3 to Take 2-1 ALCS Lead

Petey Halpin hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning and Cade Smith closed out a 3-2 win at Progressive Field, putting Cleveland two wins from its first World Series since 2016.

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Guardians Beat Rays 3-2 in Game 3 to Take 2-1 ALCS Lead
Photo: Jsawczuk, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Progressive_Field.jpg)

Key points

  • Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Thursday, October 15, at Progressive Field to take a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.
  • The game started at 1:10 p.m. ET, five hours earlier than planned.
  • Cleveland scored first in the second inning.

Cleveland beat Tampa Bay 3-2 on Thursday, October 15, at Progressive Field to take a 2-1 lead in the American League Championship Series. Petey Halpin hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, Gavin Williams struck out nine over five innings, and Cade Smith recorded the last four outs as the Guardians moved two wins from their first World Series since 2016.

The game started at 1:10 p.m. ET, five hours earlier than planned. Major League Baseball moved Game 3 up from 6 p.m. because rain was forecast in Cleveland on Thursday night.

Halpin turns the game in the fifth

Cleveland scored first in the second inning. Jo Adell walked, and Nathaniel Lowe doubled to right field on the next pitch to drive him home from first for a 1-0 lead.

Tampa Bay answered in the fourth. Yandy Diaz led off with a double, the first hit off Williams. After two strikeouts, Victor Mesa Jr. walked, and Chandler Simpson tripled to right field on a 1-2 pitch to score both runners and put the Rays ahead 2-1.

The lead lasted one inning. Patrick Bailey singled to open the bottom of the fifth, and Halpin drove a two-run home run over the right field wall off Tampa Bay starter Griffin Jax. The home run gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead that held for the rest of the afternoon. Halpin hit four home runs in the regular season. Jax took the loss, allowing three runs on five hits over four innings, with two strikeouts.

Williams and the bullpen close it out

Williams allowed two runs on two hits in five innings. He retired the first nine hitters he faced, struck out nine, and threw 70 pitches before leaving as his velocity dipped in the fifth. It was his fourth important outing in 10 days this postseason.

Daniel Espino pitched a scoreless sixth and Erik Sabrowski a scoreless seventh. Hunter Gaddis got two outs in the eighth before Richie Palacios doubled and pinch runner Jorge Mateo reached third. Smith entered with the tying run 90 feet away and struck out Diaz swinging at the end of a 10-pitch at-bat to end the inning. He then closed the ninth to finish a four-out save. Cleveland outhit Tampa Bay six to three, and neither team made an error.

Two wins from the pennant

Cleveland won Game 1 by 7-3 on Monday, October 12, in St. Petersburg. Tampa Bay won Game 2 by 3-1 on Tuesday, October 13, to tie the series. Game 4 is on Friday, October 16, at 6 p.m. ET at Progressive Field, and Game 5 is on Saturday, October 17, in Cleveland. If the series goes further, it returns to St. Petersburg for Game 6 on Monday, October 19, and a possible Game 7 on Tuesday, October 20.

The winner of the series meets the National League champion in the World Series. Milwaukee leads Los Angeles 3-0 in the National League Championship Series, with Game 4 on Thursday night.

Timeline

  1. Oct 12, 2026Guardians win Game 1 of the ALCS 7-3 in St. Petersburg.
  2. Oct 13, 2026Rays win Game 2 3-1 to tie the series at 1-1.
  3. Oct 15, 2026Guardians win Game 3 3-2 in Cleveland on a Petey Halpin two-run home run and take a 2-1 series lead.
  4. Oct 16, 2026Game 4 at Progressive Field in Cleveland, first pitch 6 p.m. ET.

Sources