Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Travis Bazzana’s outstanding Major League Baseball debut season is over, with Tampa Bay beating Cleveland in their playoff series.
The Australian young gun helped spark the Guardians’ two-run rally in the eighth inning with a walk, but the Rays were too good. Tampa Bay’s 7-3 win at home on Tuesday (AEDT) clinched the American League Championship Series by four games to two.
Tampa Bay will now meet National League champions the Milwaukee Brewers in an historic World Series that is being billed as Sun (the Florida-based Rays) v Suds. They are among five teams never to have won the World Series title.
Cleveland’s last World Series win was 78 years ago.
Bazzana, the MLB’s first Australian No.1 draft pick two years ago, made his debut at the top level in April.
The infielder from Sydney played in the All-Star game – only the second Australian after Dave Nilsson to have that honour – and hit his first post-season home run in game four against the Rays.
While Bazzana went hitless with none for three on Tuesday in St Petersburg, his walk loaded the bases in the top of the eighth with two outs.
Tampa Bay were leading 5-1, but there were nervous moments for the home team when Patrick Bailey also drew a walk to score Chase DeLauter.
Angel Martinez was then hit by a pitch, scoring Nathaniel Lowe, and suddenly the go-ahead run was at first base with Cleveland pressing at 5-3.
But Rays pitcher Kevin Kelly replaced fellow reliever Ian Seymour and he ended the rally, striking out Brayan Rocchio with three pitches to leave Bazzana stranded on third and the bases still loaded.
Yandy Diaz, who had guaranteed pre-game that the Rays would clinch it in game six, was good for his word when he hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth for the final score.
Rays starter Freedy Peralta earned his second win of the ALCS, pitching 5.1 innings and only giving up one run while striking out three, with five hits and three walks.
Junior Caminero also hit a two-run homer in the seventh. After sweeping the New York Yankees in their division series, the Rays fell behind twice against Cleveland before winning three straight games to clinch the ALCS.
A crowd of more than 40,000 packed Tropicana Field, which needed major renovations after Hurricane Milton shredded the roof two years ago. Tampa Bay played their home games last year in nearby Tampa, at the Yankees’ spring training facility.
Tampa Bay returned to the Trop this year and had 55 home wins in the regular season – second only to the Brewers.
Milwaukee will host game one on Saturday (AEDT). It will be the first time two teams aim to break their World Series droughts since Philadelphia beat Kansas City in 1980.
With The AP.
