Rays vs. Guardians ALCS Game 5: Rasmussen vs. Messick, Final Score and TV

Updated October 19, 2026: The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians, 3-1, in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday at Progressive Field. MLB Gameday now marks official game 849817 as final. The Rays took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, and the matchup is set to continue in Tampa Bay.

Rays vs. Guardians Game 5 final score and details

The official MLB Gameday record confirms the final result. Tampa Bay entered the night after tying the series at two wins apiece with a 7-3 Game 4 victory. The 3-1 win in Cleveland moved the Rays in front, 3-2, and left them one win from the American League pennant. Cleveland now needs a win in Game 6 to force a seventh game.

One documented scoring moment for Cleveland came in the sixth inning. MLB’s highlight identifies Chase DeLauter’s RBI groundout as the play that cut the Rays’ lead to 3-1. The final scoreboard stayed at that margin. The official record is the source for the result; the play highlight provides a verified snapshot from the game rather than a full inning-by-inning recap.

How Rasmussen and Messick shaped the matchup

The pregame matchup featured Tampa Bay right-hander Drew Rasmussen against Cleveland left-hander Parker Messick. Rasmussen delivered seven innings and allowed one run, earning his second postseason win, according to the Associated Press game report. That outing gave Tampa Bay length from its scheduled starter in a high-leverage game and helped the club protect its late lead.

Rasmussen had entered Game 5 with 14 innings, two runs allowed, two walks, and 17 strikeouts across his first two postseason starts, as MLB’s preview noted. Those figures describe his record before Sunday’s game; they should not be read as his totals after the 3-1 result. The AP report’s seven-inning line is the postgame performance detail confirmed here.

Messick was Cleveland’s scheduled starter, a left-hander making his fourth postseason start. In his earlier Game 2 outing against Tampa Bay, he had gone five innings and allowed six hits and three runs, all unearned, with two walks, three strikeouts, and one hit batter. MLB listed him at a 3.09 ERA with 14 strikeouts and eight walks over his first three postseason appearances entering Game 5. Those pregame numbers explain why Cleveland trusted the rookie in the pivotal start, while the final score records the outcome without implying that the prior line was his Game 5 stat line.

What the result means for the ALCS

Game 5 had been set up as a swing game after Tampa Bay’s Game 4 win evened the series. Before Sunday’s first pitch, the winner would leave Cleveland with a 3-2 advantage and the chance to close out the best-of-seven series at home. The Rays achieved that objective with the 3-1 final. The Guardians remain alive, but their path now requires consecutive wins to advance.

The Game 4 context remains useful when reviewing the series. Tampa Bay’s top three hitters—Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda, and Junior Caminero—combined for six hits and five RBIs in that 7-3 win, according to MLB’s pregame coverage. For Cleveland, Travis Bazzana hit his first career postseason home run in Game 4, and Chase DeLauter added an RBI single. Those performances preceded Game 5; they are not part of the 3-1 box score.

MLB’s schedule had Game 6 set for Monday, October 19, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, with Game 7 scheduled for Tuesday if necessary. The series therefore returns to Tampa Bay with the Rays holding the lead and the Guardians facing an elimination game. Check MLB’s official 2026 postseason schedule for any subsequent status or timing updates.

Game date, Cleveland time, and national broadcast

Game 5 was scheduled for Sunday, October 18, at 5:08 p.m. in Cleveland. The venue uses Eastern Daylight Time on that date, UTC-04:00, so the scheduled first pitch converts to 21:08 UTC on October 18. The date remains October 18 in both locations. The United States’ daylight-saving period was still in effect; NIST states that under current U.S. rules it ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November (NIST daylight-saving-time guidance).

MLB’s pregame listing named TBS, truTV, HBO Max, and UniMás for U.S. coverage. MLB’s Game 5 preview also specified UniMás for the Spanish-language game broadcast and Univision’s TUDN Radio for Spanish-language radio. These are the listed U.S. outlets; viewers in other countries should check their local rights holder rather than assume those services are available in every market.

Because the game is complete, the key update is the verified final: Rays 3, Guardians 1. The MLB Gameday page is the live official record for the score and game status. MLB’s Game 5 preview preserves the scheduled starters, original broadcast information, and pregame context, while the postseason schedule shows what follows in the series.