CLEVELAND -- Bryan Baker, a quintessential Tampa Bay Ray, was about an hour removed from securing the most important out of his career to seal a quintessential 3-1 Rays victory in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday when he found the words to describe the previous 72 hours for his ballclub.
"It was a wild few days, for sure," Baker said. "I think we handled it really well, though. We have all year."
Tampa Bay could not have handled it better. After losing Game 3, which was moved up five hours Thursday to avoid forecast inclement weather, to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field to fall behind 2-1 in the series, the Rays waited out a postponement Friday to take Game 4 on a frigid Saturday night and Game 5 on Sunday, all in front of hostile sellout crowds.
The Rays did it Sunday by showcasing their brand of baseball. They pitched well behind a dominant start from ace Drew Rasmussen. They applied pressure offensively with their elite contact ability, speed and willingness to bunt -- and chased All-Star rookie starter Parker Messick out of the game after two innings. They played clean -- and at points outstanding -- defense. And now, with a 3-2 series lead, they'll have two cracks at advancing to the World Series for the third time in franchise history, starting with Monday's Game 6 back home at Tropicana Field.
"We have a great opportunity," Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz said in Spanish. "The guys are enthusiastic. And I think this ends tomorrow."
The Guardians, meanwhile, will face elimination again after overcoming a 2-0 deficit against the Chicago White Sox in the AL Division Series as they seek to win the franchise's first World Series title since 1948.
"In a way, it might be a blessing," Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said. "We play really good when it's like, 'OK, don't lose anymore.' It started last year. Then we did it again this year. For whatever reason, we love making things interesting. We might be up eight runs, but we'll find a way to make sure [closer] Cade Smith pitches.
"We keep it interesting for the fans. Now, we have to win. We're going to go play our best baseball now. I don't know why, but that's what we do. So in a way, I think the best is yet to come from us."
Friday's rainout erased Sunday's travel day and created the possibility of the series ending with games over four straight days. That prospect accentuated the importance of starting pitchers going deep into games to avoid overworking -- and overexposing -- their respective bullpens. So far, advantage Rays.
After using seven pitchers in a scheduled bullpen game Saturday, the Guardians needed six pitchers to get through the nine innings Sunday. Messick allowed two runs on five hits and threw 57 pitches in his two innings.
Diaz began the game with a leadoff double. Ryan Vilade later worked a walk before Chandler Simpson, one of the fastest players in the majors, beat out a ground ball to shortstop Brayan Rocchio with two outs to load the bases and keep the inning alive. Jonny DeLuca followed with a walk to score the game's first run before the Rays left the bases loaded.
The Rays manufactured their second run with singles from Liam Hicks, Diaz and Jonathan Aranda in the second inning. Messick was able to limit the damage to one run again, stranding two runners on base, but his night ended there.
"We didn't anticipate going into the bullpen in the third," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "But with Parker at 60 pitches through two, it didn't feel right to put him back out there."
Like in the first inning, Simpson's speed produced a run for Tampa Bay in the third when he lined a double to right field against left-hander Tim Herrin before stealing third base and scoring on Hicks' bloop single to center field.
"It's just trying to create runs any way possible," said Rays shortstop Taylor Walls, who bunted for a hit to lead off the fourth inning before stealing second base and getting thrown out at home trying to score from second. "Some nights, it's going to be laying down bunts, getting guys over. Some nights, it's going to be a lot of contact. Some nights, it's going to be slugging and maybe hitting homers. But I think that we have the ability to create runs in multiple ways. We just don't know how it's going to happen that night."
Rasmussen and the bullpen ensured the squandered opportunities to blow the game open early was not a problem. The All-Star right-hander held Cleveland to one run on four hits over seven innings to add to his outstanding postseason. He struck out six, walked one and threw 95 pitches. In three playoff starts, including two in this ALCS, he has surrendered three runs across the 21 innings, good for a 1.29 ERA.
"Today, the way he limited anything was really, really impressive," Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Rasmussen.
Working with a better feel for his changeup than in Game 1, Rasmussen held the Guardians to one hit and a walk through five innings before finally encountering turbulence in the sixth. Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez delivered back-to-back one-out singles before Chase DeLauter drove in Kwan with a groundout. Rasmussen then got Jo Adell to pop out to escape the jam.
"I feel like I say it every time that he pitches, but I mean, he's a dog," Simpson said of Rasmussen. "And every time he's out there, we know we got the best chance to win."
Cam Booser began the eighth inning and Tyler Wells ended it by striking out Ramirez with a runner at first base. Then Baker took over.
A year ago, the right-hander was a 30-year-old midseason acquisition with a 4.06 ERA. This year, behind a lethal fastball-changeup combination, he became one of the best relievers in the majors, posting a 1.44 ERA with 41 saves during the regular season. The All-Star is one of the Rays' many successful restoration projects over the years. And on Sunday, he finished off a classic Rays win and an unusual weekend to send them home with a chance to advance to the World Series.
"It's what we work for," Baker said. "It was a huge couple of games here to get us back in that spot. The first goal was just to get back to The Trop, and to be able to go back in this position is exactly what we wanted to do."