The Tampa Bay Rays faced the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday. In the top of the 9th inning, a scary moment unfolded.
The Rays were trailing 4-3 with no outs and a man on 2nd. Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio then hit a foul pop fly toward 3rd base. Junior Caminero and Johnny DeLuca were both charging after the ball. They collided, and no play was made, per Talkin Baseball. DeLuca fell right away.
Both players needed a moment to recover while on the ground. However, they mustered everything they had to stay in the game. Nevertheless, the game was beyond their reach.
Ultimately, the Guardians won 7-3. Cedric Mullins' 8th-inning home run wasn't enough to fend off Cleveland, which was trailing. The Guardians added 3 more runs in the 9th inning.
Caminero went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Meanwhile, DeLuca went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Caminero and DeLuca have been with the Rays since 2023. The Rays are coming off a sweep of the New York Yankees in the ALDS, while the Guardians came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Chicago White Sox.
Tampa Bay is looking to reach their first World Series since 2020, when they lost to the high-powered Los Angeles Dodgers in 6 games. Meanwhile, the Guardians are trying to reach their first fall classic since 2016, when they fell to the Chicago Cubs in a legendary 7-game series.
Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday at 7:00 pm CST/8:00 pm EST at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.