How The Guardians Managed To Take Game One From The Rays

Shane Bieber and Jose Ramirez help lead Cleveland to a game one win of the Rays.

Well, that was a fun one! It's always a pretty good feeling going into game two of a playoff series with a lead and a win over your opponent's best pitcher. 

But looking back now that we've had time to let the excitement settle in, just did the Guardians manage to take game one of this series? 

Guardians Pitching Leads The Way Again

One of the biggest reasons for the Guardians' success was Shane Bieber throwing one of the best games a manager can ask for in game one. He pitched 7.2 innings while striking out eight and only allowing one walk and one earned run. 

Then he turned it over to Emmanuel Clase who slammed the door shut on the Rays. 

Only having to throw two pitchers in the first game of the series is absolutely massive for the next two days! Almost the whole bullpen is available in a potentially clinching game is a great recipe for success. 

Jose Ramirez Does MVP Things

If the Guardians want to go deep into the playoffs then Jose Ramirez is going to need to be his MVP self. Thankfully he showed up today and had the eventual game-winning home run off one of the league's best pitchers.

After the game, Ramirez said that "That was my plan, just look for that changeup. He got me twice with the same pitch, it really resembles a fastball."

This is the kind of baseball IQ that Ramirez brings to such a young team and even though it seems small it can have a massive impact on the game.

Now it's time to go out on Saturday and close out the series before the Rays get any sort of momentum going. 

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Read More:

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