The Cleveland Guardians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in Game 3 of the ALCS on October 15, 2026, taking a 2-1 series lead. Petey Halpin hit a two-run homer to put Cleveland ahead, and Cade Smith closed it out. The discussion has moved to pitching: Freddy Peralta has allowed four runs in 38 2/3 innings since September 1, a 0.93 ERA, and Gavin Williams's 12 strikeouts in Game 5 tied Charles Nagy for the most in a Guardians playoff game, with the highest strikeout rate in baseball history among pitchers with more than 10 innings. Perez hears the chance of playing Game 4 in Cleveland is very low, and a Game 7 would mean four straight days.