The Tampa Bay Rays won 98 games in 2026, 13 more than the Cleveland Guardians. They are the better team, by far.
Often, though, the challenge with the playoffs is the better team doesn’t win, for one reason or another. In Tampa Bay’s case at least for the first three games, it was their offense.
Their top three hitters—Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda, and Junior Caminero—weren’t hitting. It’s hard to win when they guys you relied on all season to come through aren’t coming through.
Last night, they came through. In a big way. Diaz went 2-for-5, scoring two runs and driving in two. Aranda went 3-for-4, scoring two and driving in two. Caminero, while not exactly tearing it up, at least showed up, going 1-for-5, driving in a run.
Aranda drove in the first Rays run in the third after Diaz had doubled, tying the score 1-0. Cleveland had hopped out to a quick lead in the first and was looking to throw some serious dirt on the Rays by taking a three games to one lead in the best-of-seven series.
The Rays offense had to show up. After that one run in the third, it was still 1-1 heading into the sixth. The first two Rays walked, Jonathan Aranda followed by Chandler Simpson. Then Caminero broke the tie with an RBI double, putting runners on second and third with one out. That’s all they got. It looked like they let Cleveland off the hook, the kind of thing that usually comes back to haunt you in the playoffs.
But in the top of the seventh, the first two Rays reached again, this time both with singles. Aranda came up and singled to right. The Guardians right fielders let the ball roll under his glove. By the time he retrieved it and the dust settled, two runs had scored and he was on third, and the Rays let 4-1. Aranda scored on a Simpson sac fly to make it 5-1.
Cleveland quickly scored two to make it 5-3 and put everybody back on the edge of their seats. Until Yandy Diaz hit a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to make it 7-3, sealing the Rays Game 4 win, tying the series at two games apiece.
The Rays are the better team. Now it’s up to their big guns to prove it. Last night, they finally did.
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