CLEVELAND — Rookie outfielder Petey Halpin delivered the defining swing of his young career Thursday, powering a go-ahead two-run homer to push the Cleveland Guardians past the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.
The victory gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, which was shifted five hours earlier to a 1 p.m. start at Progressive Field because of rain in the forecast. According to Yahoo Sports, the scheduling adjustment made it the earliest start for an MLB League Championship Series contest in the Eastern Time zone since 1988.
Halpin delivers in the fifth
Halpin’s fifth-inning drive capped a back-and-forth contest after Tampa Bay had briefly surged in front. Cleveland initially grabbed the lead in the second inning when designated hitter Jo Adell drew a walk and crossed the plate on a double to right field by Nathaniel Lowe, AFP reported.
Tampa Bay countered in the fourth frame. Yandy Diaz sparked the rally with a double, and Victor Mesa was issued a two-out walk before Chandler Simpson drove both runners home with a two-run triple into the right-field corner, according to game recaps.
Cleveland responded immediately in the fifth against Tampa Bay starter Griffin Jax. Patrick Bailey opened the frame with an infield hit that Jax could not handle cleanly. On a 2-2 count, Halpin launched an elevated 95.9 mph sinker 385 feet over the right-center wall to give Cleveland a 3-2 advantage, ESPN reported. It was Halpin’s first career postseason home run and just his fifth major league homer overall.
Halpin punctuated the blast with an emphatic bat flip before circling the bases.
“I think I blacked out. I’m not sure what I was doing to be completely honest,” Halpin said after the game. “Maybe a little too much but it was a good moment, it was exciting and I loved it.”
Bullpen slams the door
Guardians starter Gavin Williams turned in a dominant performance on the mound, striking out nine batters while yielding two runs and two hits across five innings, according to AFP. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt removed Williams after 70 pitches to manage his postseason workload, Yahoo Sports reported.
From there, Cleveland’s relief corps shut down the Rays’ offense. Relievers Daniel Espino, Erik Sabrowski, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith combined to surrender only one baserunner over the final four innings, ESPN reported. Rays hitters struck out 13 times in total, with third baseman Junior Caminero fanning four times.
The Rays mounted their most dangerous threat in the eighth inning when Richie Palacios doubled and pinch-runner Jorge Mateo advanced to third on a groundout by Taylor Walls. Vogt summoned closer Cade Smith, who ended the threat by striking out Diaz in a 10-pitch battle. Smith then retired the side in order in the ninth inning to lock down a four-out save.
“Cade Smith is the man,” Halpin said, as quoted by AFP. “He shuts them down.”
What comes next
The Guardians have now taken five of their past six playoff games after dropping the first two contests of the division series against the Chicago White Sox, ESPN noted. Cleveland is chasing its first World Series title since 1948, while Tampa Bay seeks its first championship in its 29-year history.
Game 4 is scheduled for Friday at Progressive Field, but severe weather may force additional changes to the schedule. Heavy rain is expected in northeast Ohio on Friday and Saturday, and league officials have been discussing potential contingency plans for Games 4 and 5, Sports Illustrated reported. Vogt told reporters before Thursday’s game that the outlook for Friday’s weather “does not look good.”
The winner of the ALCS will meet either the Milwaukee Brewers or the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series, which begins Oct. 23.
