Before Saturday’s ALCS Game 4 between the Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays, Evan Closky (sports director at 10 Tampa Bay News) described the game as a “frosty” one because of the weather. For those who don’t know, Game 4 was originally scheduled for Friday but was postponed because of rain. Both teams waited for hours on Friday in the hope that the game could be played.

MLB also made every effort to get it underway, but the weather didn’t cooperate. After 9 p.m., the league finally announced the postponement, leaving players, staff, and fans dealing with a frustrating evening. Despite the delay, Saturday’s game delivered plenty of excitement.

How did Chase DeLauter’s mistake affect the Guardians?

The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Cleveland Guardians 7–3 to even the series. Three Rays had been invisible through three games: Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, and Jonathan Aranda showed up. Rays manager Kevin Cash’s “Los Tres Pequeños” came through when the team needed them most. However, the Rays also benefited from some costly mistakes by the Guardians, who entered Game 4 looking to bounce back from their Game 3 loss. Cleveland’s defensive struggles proved costly once again.

In Game 4 of the ALCS on Saturday, Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter made a costly fielding error in the top of the seventh inning that shifted the momentum in Tampa Bay’s favor.

With Cleveland trailing 2–1 and two runners on base, Jonathan Aranda hit a single to right field. DeLauter rushed to field the ball and prepare a throw home to prevent another run from scoring, but it slipped under his glove. Instead of limiting the damage, the Guardians watched both runners cross home plate while Aranda advanced all the way to third base.

The error extended Tampa Bay’s lead to 4–1. Aranda then scored on a sacrifice fly, giving the Rays a 5–1 advantage.

Cleveland tried to respond in the bottom of the seventh, cutting the deficit to two runs. However, the damage from Tampa Bay’s four-run inning proved too much to overcome. After the game, DeLauter took responsibility for his mistake.

“Put that one on me,” DeLauter told ESPN. “You miss a ground ball and give up two runs — essentially give up three. It’s my fault he’s on third base. It sucks.” 

Despite the costly error, DeLauter received support from Guardians manager Stephen Vogt and second baseman Travis Bazzana.

The Guardians’ defensive struggles continued

On a bitterly cold Saturday night at Progressive Field, defensive mistakes helped the Tampa Bay Rays turn a close game into a comfortable victory.

DeLauter’s seventh-inning error was the most damaging play, but he wasn’t the only Guardians player who struggled defensively. Second baseman Travis Bazzana also had a difficult night. While he provided a bright spot offensively by hitting his first career postseason home run in the 7th inning against Ian Seymour to help spark a brief Guardians comeback, he committed a costly fielding error at second base during a difficult defensive night for the Guardians. That helped Tampa Bay continue to put pressure on Cleveland’s pitching staff.

The Guardians briefly threatened to make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh. Runs from Bazzana and Brayan Rocchio cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 5–3, giving Cleveland a chance to get back into the game.

However, the Rays quickly shut down any hopes of a comeback. In the top of the ninth, Yandy Díaz hit a two-run home run to right field, restoring Tampa Bay’s four-run lead and putting the game out of reach at 7–3.

Game postponement left fans frustrated

While the Rays celebrated their win, the postponement of Game 4 left many fans frustrated. Heavy rain at Progressive Field forced the game to be moved from Friday to Saturday, and some fans criticized MLB for waiting until late Friday night (after 9 PM) to make the decision.

Several factors contributed to the backlash:

1. High, nonrefundable costs: Fans faced expensive, nonrefundable expenses just to attend the game. Parking prices around the stadium reportedly reached $80, while some stadium food options, including nachos and a Coke, cost as much as $30.
2. Travel and hotel complications: Many fans had traveled to Cleveland and booked hotels or flights for the weekend, only to spend hours waiting through a rain delay before the postponement was announced. Some fans had to miss the rescheduled Sunday game and head home because they had a nonrefundable flight booked for Sunday morning.
3. Questions about MLB’s decision-making: Fans also pointed to the league’s handling of an earlier weather threat. MLB had rescheduled Game 3 a full day in advance, moving it to an afternoon start. For Game 4, however, the league waited until Friday night to call off the game despite forecasts of bad weather. The late announcement left some fans dealing with wasted tickets and additional travel and parking expenses.

The Los Tres Pequeños finally delivered

Bay’s trio of Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz, and Jonathan Aranda broke out of their struggles in Game 4. The three combined to go 6-for-14 with five RBIs, providing the offensive spark the Rays had been missing in the first three games.

Jonathan Aranda: After starting the series 0-for-10, Aranda broke out with a 3-for-4 performance. His biggest moment came in the seventh inning, when he hit a two-run single to right field. The ball slipped under DeLauter’s glove, allowing both runners to score while Aranda advanced to third.

Junior Caminero: After striking out four times in Game 3, the 23-year-old bounced back with two hard-hit balls. In the third inning, he narrowly missed a home run when his 110.7 mph hit was caught near the center-field wall. He followed that up in the sixth with a 110.2 mph RBI double into the left-field corner.

Yandy Díaz: The designated hitter went 2-for-5 and delivered one of the game’s biggest blows in the top of the ninth. His two-run home run just over the right-field wall gave Tampa Bay a 7–3 lead and effectively sealed the victory.

With the series now tied, the race for a spot in the World Series comes down to a best-of-three stretch. Game 5 is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Sunday at Progressive Field.