Shawn Armstrong Remains Game 4 Opener, Even Following Weather Postponement

The Cleveland Guardians lead the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in the American League Championship Series.

And although Game 4 was postponed due to weather-related conditions in Cleveland, both teams will not make any changes to the pitching plans.

On Friday, Oct. 16, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt confirmed that veteran right-handed reliever Shawn Armstrong would remain the opener for Game 4. On the Rays' end, Nick Martinez will get the nod to head out onto the bump.

"Just looking at how to navigate the top of the order," Vogt said when asked about what went into Armstrong being the opener. "And then obviously, we have got everybody else available out there in the bullpen. So, see where the game goes from there."

A Veteran Just Doing Veteran Things

Signed to a one-year deal worth $5.5 million last December, it is hard to imagine the Guardians didn't know Armstrong would end up being this important to the team.

After all, stop after stop, team after team, Armstrong was praised as both a leader in the clubhouse and a reliable arm on the mound.

"Shawn Armstrong meant a lot to our club when he was there," Rays manager Kevin Cash said when asked about Armstrong's time in Tampa Bay. "He was one of our veteran pitchers in the bullpen, took on a leadership role. He is a guy who has been there, done that... It is a credit to him and the person he is."

With the Guardians in 2026, he didn't have the best season statistically, but his journey was riddled with countless injuries as he fought through adversity to make his way back to the diamond.

However, throughout the AL Division Series and into the ALCS, he has silenced any doubts about whether his regular-season struggles would carry over into October.

Across four games and 5.1 innings of work, he has a 0.00 ERA and a 0.19 WHIP, all while getting the Guardians out of a few sticky situations. Most notably, in Game 4 of the ALDS, he entered the game with the Chicago White Sox having the bases loaded in the third, getting two outs while allowing just a run.

If he doesn't do his job there and remain calm, the White Sox easily run away with the outing.

But because of Armstrong's ability to keep the game within two runs, the Guardians would go on to win 9-5, evening the series up at two. That set the stage for the Guardians to return home and steal the series with a Game 5 win at Progressive Field.

“He's been phenomenal,” Vogt said recently when reflecting on Armstrong's impact on the team. “To his credit, he kept himself ready, knowing that, ‘Hey, I'm not going to be back till the last week of the season, and hopefully I impact a postseason run.’ Boy, is he doing that and then some.

"We’re really thrilled that [Armstrong] is back and healthy."

With a chance to extend the series advantage to two games and put the Rays further on their heels, all eyes will be on the veteran experience of Armstrong and how he begins Saturday night's outing.

The Guardians and Rays, with a 2-1 series advantage in favor of the home team, will collide at 8:00 p.m. EST from Progressive Field on Saturday, Oct. 17.