On Friday, the Cleveland Guardians won their first game of the 2022 MLB postseason by securing a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card series opener.
The Guardians won the first of three games to take a 1-0 lead in the series, thanks to All-Star third baseman Jose Ramirez and pitcher Shane Bieber. Ramirez hit a game-winning two-run home run, bringing the Guardians’ to victory.
The Cleveland Guardians (-127 ML @WynnBET) win Game 1 over Tampa Bay! #ForTheLand #Postseason
— MLB Gambling Podcast (@MLBSGPN) October 7, 2022
Bieber started on the mound, struck out eight times and made the Rays go scoreless through the first five innings. He had a head-to-head against the Tampa Bay’s starting pitcher Shane McClanahan.
You'd need a few hands to count the number of times Biebs has more than pulled his weight this year.
Today was no different. 👏#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/eB4AYJl42Y
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 7, 2022
With Ramírez’s homer in the sixth inning, the Guardians ended their eight-game postseason losing streak. Ramirez hit an 88 mph changeup pitch from McClanahan after Jose Siri scored on the Top 6.
After the game, Ramirez shared his thoughts on the hit as well as the Guardians’ roster. They had a “really good team,” he said, and were therefore capable of a comeback.
Jose Siri vs Shane Bieber#RaysUp
Flyout 💢
Exit velo: 103.4 mph
Launch angle: 33 deg
Proj. distance: 394 ftThis would have been a home run at Fenway Park and nowhere else
TB (0) @ CLE (0)
🔺 3rd pic.twitter.com/cNGj0sjJg6— Would it dong? (@would_it_dong) October 7, 2022
“When it came off the bat I felt it was a homer, but with this weather you never know, and when I saw the center fielder trying to get to the wall, I was kind of concerned and I kind of sped up a little bit my pace [on the bases],” Ramirez commented through an interpreter.
Bieber also spoke highly of Ramirez, saying that he was “inevitable” with his play.
“To do it right away, that was huge. I know for me personally, any pitcher, will tell you that,” Bieber said.
Francona discusses Ramirez’s quality
Currently, Ramirez is the Guardians leading batter. He leads the team with his 29 regular-season home runs throughout the year. He had his at-bat against McClanahan, a fan-favorite pitcher, against the Rays.
The Guardians’ head coach Terry Francona said that everybody wanted Ramirez to hit a homer to 30 in the matchup. Francona mentioned that Ramirez is a “really good hitter.”
“I know he was [sitting] on 29 [in the regular season], and everybody was wanting it — and I understand why they want him to get 30,” Francona said. “But he hit the double the other way. He had a bunch of hits that were staying through the ball. Balls will go out just because he’s a really good hitter.”
Francona also voiced his opinion on the Rays’ performance. He said that McClanahan was well performed as a pitcher.
“Two home runs, theirs and ours,” Francona said. “Or we might still be playing because both pitchers were [good], I mean, their guy was really good.”
On the other hand, McClanahan left the pitch after getting Ramirez out on changeups his first two times at the plate. He said that he aimed for more changeup pitch twice, but Ramirez hit it.
“That was my plan, just look for that changeup,” he said. “He got me twice with the same pitch. Because it’s a really good pitch. It really resembles a fastball. So I was just sitting on that pitch and I was just trying not to do too much, just put it on the opposing side of the field, and I was able to get a good contact on that.”
Bieber played for 7⅔ innings, giving up three hits for the Guardians’ defense. He mentioned that the crowd at Progressive Field provided him with much-needed adrenaline.
“It was just a lot of fun out there,” he said. “I wasn’t blind to the fact that there were a lot of people there pulling for us, pulling for us to come out of there with a victory. So we won’t take that for granted and that’s what we do it for.”
Both teams will play their second matchup on Saturday, October 8.