Rays and Guardians Set to Open ALCS in Tampa

The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians were scheduled to open the American League Championship Series on Monday night, with Drew Rasmussen starting for Tampa Bay and Foster Griffin for Cleveland. Game 1 was set for 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The best-of-seven series begins after sharply different routes through the Division Series: Tampa Bay swept the New York Yankees in three games, while Cleveland rallied from an 0-2 deficit to eliminate the Chicago White Sox in five. The Guardians completed their comeback with a 2-0 victory in the deciding game on Saturday. They won three straight after losing the first two games at home. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, advanced with three consecutive wins over the Yankees, including a 4-3 victory in the series finale on October 7. Rasmussen was Tampa Bay’s announced starter for the opener. In his only start of the Division Series, he pitched eight scoreless innings against New York, allowing one hit and striking out 10. Cleveland named Griffin, a left-hander, to start. Griffin had appeared in relief during the Division Series, allowing one run and two hits while striking out seven in 2⅔ innings.