Did the Guardians win last night? No, Rays even series with 3-1 Game 2 win
The Rays beat the Guardians 3-1 behind Freddy Peralta and Liam Hicks, tying the ALCS at a game apiece after Parker Messick's homecoming start for Cleveland.
No, the Guardians did not win
People searching did the Guardians win last night are looking for Tuesday's Game 2 answer, and it is no. The Rays beat the Guardians 3-1, with Freddy Peralta and Liam Hicks lifting Tampa Bay to the win. That evens the American League Championship Series at one game apiece.
The Guardians had taken Game 1, 7-3, to open the series. Game 2 flipped it back the other way. The box score details beyond the final and the two Rays contributors are not out yet, so that is the extent of what is confirmed right now.
What happens next is set. The series shifts to Cleveland for Game 3 on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, airing on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max.
Messick's homecoming start
Manager Stephen Vogt handed Game 2 to Parker Messick, and the start carried extra weight. Messick grew up in Plant City, Florida, and attended games at Tropicana Field from childhood through college before the Guardians took him in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Florida State.
He had faced the Rays in Florida twice before Tuesday. He allowed one run over six innings on Sept. 7, 2025, at George M. Steinbrenner Field, and one run over 7 2/3 innings at The Trop on July 26 of this season. Plant City threw a watch party for the start.
"I have so many good memories here," Messick said. He described the chance to pitch on the ALCS stage as an incredible opportunity and said he expected the homecoming to feel like his previous trips back to Florida, just with higher stakes.
Messick was on normal rest after starting Game 4 of the ALDS against the White Sox, where he threw 65 pitches over 2 1/3 innings and was charged with two runs on two hits and a career-high-tying four walks. He emerged as an AL Cy Young and Rookie of the Year contender this season and has thrown 193 innings across the regular season and playoffs.
What's next
The Rays will start Griffin Jax in Game 3 on Thursday night in Cleveland. Jax moved from the bullpen into the Tampa Bay rotation this season before taking on the Game 3 assignment.
With the series tied 1-1, the next result will say which team takes control. Nothing beyond the schedule and the starting pitcher is set for Game 3 yet.
Facts per MLB.com, Tampa Bay Times, ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.