MIAMI.- The Tampa Bay Rays They defeated this Monday 7-3 the Cleveland Guardians and they advanced to the World Series of the Major League Baseballin which they will fight for their first title against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Two home runs from the Dominican Junior Caminero and the Cuban Yandy Diaz and a gem of a pitcher Freddy Peralta They defined a victory with which Tampa ended the American League Championship Series by an aggregate of 4-2.
The World Series, which gets underway on Friday, will produce a new champion, as the Rays and Brewers are two of the five teams that have never won the title.
The Florida franchise was defeated in its two previous appearances in the World Series, in 2008 and 2020, while Milwaukee had its only opportunity in the 1982 “Fall Classic.”
Despite this discreet history, both teams have dominated the season with an iron fist. The Brewers led the National League with the best overall balance, 103 wins and 59 losses, and dethroned the Championship Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers with an astonishing 4-0 sweep.
The Rays also started as the first seed in the playoffs of the American (98-64), they swept the New York Yankees and they came back against cleveland a tie in which they were twice behind.
The World Series will be even more special for Peralta, named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the American League final.
The Dominican, who only gave up one run in two winning starts, played eight seasons for the Brewers until he was traded in January to the Metsfrom where it landed in Tampa in August.
“God is the only one who brought me here,” said the pitcher. “I’m very happy to be here and be part of this group and this organization.”
“Milwaukee is a team and a city that gave me the opportunity to fulfill my dream. It will always be in my heart, but this is the time to compete,” Peralta stressed.
“I’m very happy for this team, for this city. It’s incredible, I want to cry now,” said, on his side, an emotional Caminero, established as one of the most powerful figures in baseball at 23 years old.
MVP Peralta
Before his audience Tropicana Fieldin St.Petersburgthe Rays achieved their third straight victory against Guardians who went from more to less offensively in the tie.
If on Sunday they crashed against the opener Drew Rasmussenthis time the Cleveland strikers could only scratch one run from star Freddy Peralta in 5.1 innings.
By then the locals had amassed an early 3-0 lead against the bullpen game that Cleveland presented.
The American Richie Palaciosone of the hottest in this series, led the way with a double in the second inning that drove in the runs of Chandler Simpson and the Cuban Victor Mesa Jr.
In the same inning, the locals loaded the bases, but Jonathan Aranda he failed with a fly ball to left field.
The Tijuana native, without a hit in four at-bats, has been very blurred in this series, with a single brilliant performance in the fourth game.
The third inning saw another full house for the Rays who Johnny DeLuca He did take advantage with a sacrifice fly for Caminero’s score.
Caribbean home runs
The Guardians were present on the scoreboard after a single by Nathaniel Lowe against Peralta in the sixth inning.
Tampa then ended the night for the Dominican, winner of his three starts in these playoffs.
With Peralta resting, a bomb by his compatriot Caminero unleashed the party of the 25,000 fans at Tropicana Field, including the Cuban-Mexican Randy Arozarena, the hero of the Rays who lost the 2020 World Series to the Dodgers.
In the seventh inning Caminero hit a monumental two-run home run and gave the home team a partial 5-1 lead before they overcame a last moment of drama.
A nervous breakdown in the eighth inning by the reliever Ian Seymour allowed Cleveland to string together two runs. One of them was given with a shot directly to the Dominican’s left thigh. Angel Martinez.
With Cleveland bases loaded, Kevin Kelly He took Seymour’s place and put out the fire by striking out the Venezuelan Brayan Rocchio.
The visitors hoped to have another chance in the last inning, but Cuban Díaz destroyed all their hopes with a definitive two-run home run.
