The Tampa Bay Rays advanced to the World Series for the first time in six years.
Tampa Bay beat the Cleveland Guardians 7-3 on the 20th, Korea time, in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Rays took the best-of-seven series 4-2 to claim their first American League pennant in six years. They will open the World Series against National League champion Milwaukee Brewers at 9 a.m. Korea time on the 24th (around 8 p.m. Oct. 23 local time) at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
That sets up a World Series between two franchises that have never won the title. Whichever team wins will also be the first small-market champion since the Kansas City Royals in 2015, ending an 11-year gap.
Milwaukee, founded in 1969, is seeking its first World Series title in 58 years. Tampa Bay, founded in 1998, is chasing its first in 29 years.
Tampa Bay won the American League pennant twice before, in 2008 and 2020, but fell short of the trophy against the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers, respectively.
Cleveland, which last won the World Series in 1948, has the longest title drought among the 30 major league clubs at 78 years. The Guardians led this year's ALCS 2-1 before losing three straight games, leaving their long wait unfulfilled.
With the game scoreless in the second inning, Tampa Bay put runners on second and third with two outs on a hit, a walk and two stolen bases. Richie Palacios then doubled into right-center field to drive in the first two runs. In the third, Jonny DeLuca hit a sacrifice fly with one out and the bases loaded to extend the lead to 3-0.
After Cleveland pulled one back in the sixth, Tampa Bay answered in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run homer by Junior Caminero that struck the left-field foul pole. With the lead cut to 5-3 in the eighth, Yandy Diaz hit a two-run shot over the left-field wall to seal the pennant.