Ace Drew Rasmussen's masterpiece in Game 5 of the ALCS came at the expense of fellow Beavs Steven Kwan and Travis Bazzana, whose Guardians were eliminated by the Rays in a six-game series. It was a good season from Cleveland, but Tampa ultimately proved that they are the side from the American League that belongs in the World Series.
Travis Bazzana - Cleveland Guardians
It was not the best experience for the 2024 number one pick in his first trip to the American League Championship Series. Bazzana went just 4-for-21 in Cleveland's series against the Rays, and had an on-base percentage of under .300. However, the rookie did have some good moments in this series that he'll look to build off of as he goes forward with his career. When the Guardians were well behind in the late stages of game five, Bazzana hit his first postseason home run, and ended that day 2-for-3. Cleveland should feel good about where they are as a franchise right now after Bazzana's first MLB season.
Steven Kwan - Cleveland Guardians
Unfortunately for the Guardians, we didn't see quite the same Kwan in the postseason as we did in the second half of the regular season. He hit .244 in the month of October, down from the .290+ he had been at in the last few weeks of the regular season. Kwan tried to do some heavy lifting in a tight game five, tallying two hits in a game where Rasmussen was stellar for Tampa. Overall, he ended up with a total of seven hits in the American League Championship Series.
Drew Rasmussen - Tampa Bay Rays
The 31-year-old Washington native now prepares to step onto the biggest stage of his life. In a bit of a surprise, manager Kevin Cash announced yesterday that the Rays will be giving the ball to Nick Martinez in game one Friday night. They are doing this in order to give their Rasmussen an extra day of rest, given the big workload he has had throughout this postseason. This switch means that Rasmussen will be starting game two of the World Series on Saturday night.
Rasmussen was clinical in game five of the ALCS, leading his team to a huge victory that helped turn the tide of that series. He went seven full innings and allowed just a single earned run off of four hits in that 3-1 win over Cleveland. In this postseason thus far, Rasmussen has struck out 23 batters in 21 innings pitched, and allowed just three runs. By giving him the ball Saturday in game two, the Rays should be set up to have Rasmussen start game six as well, if the series makes it that far.
Also of note, former Oregon State head coach Pat Casey, who led the program to all three of their national championships, currently serves as a consultant to player development and high performance for the Milwaukee Brewers.
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