2022 MLB Playoffs: Guardians on to ALDS after 15-inning battle with Rays

By Jordan Shusterman
FOX Sports MLB Writer

And we thought Game 1 was a pitchers’ duel.

Game 2 of the Wild-Card Series between the Guardians and Rays set a new standard for pitching excellence — or offensive ineptitude — in the postseason, with a 15-inning marathon ended by one heroic swing from rookie outfielder Oscar Gonzalez.

Scoreless through nine innings with just five combined hits, the Rays and Guardians headed to extras without the benefit of the automatic runner on second base (that rule applies only in the regular season). And so, the bullpens continued to trade blows, with both offenses floundering for another six innings until Gonzalez broke through with the swing that sent Cleveland to an ALDS matchup with the Yankees.

It was only the second game in MLB postseason history to be scoreless through 12 innings, joining Game 1 of the 2020 Wild-Card Series between the Reds and Braves. The obvious difference between that game and this one: The seats were empty in Atlanta two years ago due to the pandemic. Conversely, on a chilly Saturday afternoon in Cleveland, a crowd of nearly 35,000 gathered to watch this agonizing yet exhilarating game for roughly five hours. 

At least the fans went home happy. 

What went right for the Guardians

Let’s set aside the fact that the Guardians offense didn’t hit a ball farther than 300 feet for 14 innings before Gonzalez’s walk-off and focus on the pitching. Triston McKenzie set the tone with six strong innings, further establishing himself as one of the premier young right-handers in the American League. 

It was fitting that another former Cleveland ace in CC Sabathia, who is one of McKenzie’s mentors, was in the house to see the 25-year-old dominate on the postseason stage.

Following McKenzie came the full Guardians bullpen experience. All seven relievers on the roster made an appearance and kept the Rays scoreless from the seventh inning on. Usually it takes a few games in October for a bullpen to showcase everyone, but this was as much of a team effort as you’ll ever see. 

Special shout-out to big lefty Sam Hentges for delivering the final three scoreless frames, including six strikeouts and zero walks, ensuring that manager Terry Francona didn’t need to call on either of his other starting pitchers in Cal Quantrill or Zach Plesac. 

What went wrong for the Rays

This one ain’t all that complicated: one run on nine hits (eight singles and one homer) over 24 innings just isn’t gonna cut it in almost any scenario and certainly not in the postseason. Cleveland’s pitching deserves plenty of credit, but it’s not like the Rays didn’t have any hitters capable of doing damage in this series — Randy Arozarena, Wander Franco and Yandy Diaz, hello!

Yet the Rays’ bats were silenced time and time again. It’s a shame that their brilliant pitching went to waste, but it was clear even before the series began that this team isn’t quite as intimidating as some other recent Rays postseason squads.

Despite somehow finding their way into the playoffs for a fourth straight year, the Rays ended 2022 on a seven-game losing streak and a heartbreaking loss in Cleveland. With the AL East only getting stronger, they’ll need to find some more reliable sources of offense if they intend to compete again in 2023. 

Key moment of the game

After five scoreless innings from Tyler Glasnow, the Rays handed the ball to right-hander Pete Fairbanks. After returning from a lat strain that kept him out for the first three-and-a-half months of the season, Fairbanks was one of the most dominant relievers in baseball in the second half, posting a 1.13 ERA in 24 innings with 38 strikeouts compared to just three walks. 

He appeared to be the perfect guy to pick up where Glasnow left off and keep shutting down the Guardians offense, but it was clear from his first pitch Saturday — which sailed over the catcher’s head — that something was off. Two walks later, Fairbanks left the game, appearing to tell the trainer that he couldn’t feel his hand before leaving the field.

Jason Adam, another Rays reliever with tremendous regular-season numbers (1.56 ERA in 63.1 IP), entered and immediately plunked Amed Rosario with his first pitch. This set up a bases-loaded, no-out situation for star Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez, who delivered the go-ahead, two-run dinger in Game 1. You couldn’t draw up a run-scoring opportunity any better for Cleveland.

But then: the Houdini act of all Houdini acts from Adam. He struck out Ramirez and then got Josh Naylor to ground into a double play. It was a harsh reminder to everyone watching — and playing — of just how difficult runs can be to come by in this game. 

While Adam and the Rays ultimately escaped the messy sixth inning unscathed, Fairbanks’ early exit forced Kevin Cash to start churning through his top bullpen options sooner than expected. Had Fairbanks delivered a strong inning or two, rather than departing having recorded zero outs, it’s possible the Rays could’ve hung on a little longer before turning to their likely Game 3 starter in Corey Kluber. 

Alas, Kluber (unsurprisingly) didn’t look all that comfortable coming out of the pen for the first time in nearly a decade, and he ultimately hung the pitch Gonzalez launched into the left-field seats.

What happens next?

Cleveland moves on to the ALDS to face the AL East champion Yankees in what should be a fascinating contrast of styles. With Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday in the Bronx, it seems the Guardians will likely send out Quantrill, who has quietly been an excellent No. 3 behind Shane Bieber and McKenzie, in what is sure to be another excellent pitching matchup against Gerrit Cole.

It’s tough to feel all that confident about a team that struggled this much offensively, even in a two-game sweep, but if the Guardians pitching staff continues to excel, they will absolutely have a chance against New York.

Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball writer for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @j_shusterman_.