CLEVELAND — The Rays’ season ended Saturday afternoon in a frustrating and fitting fashion — with a strong pitching performance wasted and their offense coming up short in a thrilling, nearly five-hour game.
With the 1-0, 15-inning walk-off loss, the Rays were swept out of the best-of-three wild-card series by the Guardians, who will advance to face the Yankees in the American League Division Series.
The Rays will head home, ousted in their first round of postseason play for the second straight year, as their already suspect bats were shut down by Cleveland’s pitching.
The end came at the start of the 15th, when Oscar Gonzalez homered off Corey Kluber, the former Cleveland star who was making his first relief appearance since April 20, 2013.
It was the first postseason game in major league history to be scoreless through 13 or more innings.
The Rays had several chances.
In the top of the 10th, Ji-Man Choi drew a leadoff walk, and pinch-runner Vidal Brujan stole second as Taylor Walls, who was used as a pinch-hitter to bunt, struck out. Brujan got to third on Manuel Margot’s ground out, but no further as Francisco Mejia’s liner to right-center field was caught by Myles Straw.
The Rays had another chance in the 12th, with Harold Ramirez on third and Walls on first with two outs, but Margot grounded to third and was called out on a close play at first — the call surviving a replay challenge.
Ramirez reached on a fielder’s choice grounder after Randy Arozarena led off with a walk, and Walls lined a ball that shortstop Amed Rosario couldn’t handle.
The Rays managed just six hits while striking out 19 times for the day, shut down by starter Triston McKenzie and the bullpen. This coming a day after being held to three hits by starter Shane Bieber and Co.
Kluber was on the mound as the Rays ran through most of their other options.
One that stood out was limiting Drew Rasmussen, who spent the season as a starter, to five outs and 16 pitches as he seemed set up for a long relief stint.
But manager Kevin Cash pulled Rasmussen in favor of Garrett Cleavinger. That worked, as Cleavinger struck out Josh Naylor to end the ninth and then three more Guardians in the 10th. Then Shawn Armstrong stepped in to get the Rays through the 11th and struck out dangerous Jose Ramirez to start the 12th.
The Rays on Saturday escaped a major threat during an eventful sequence in the sixth following five strong innings from Tyler Glasnow.
Jason Adam came on to replace injured Pete Fairbanks (right index finger numbness) with two on and no outs.
Adam made things worse by hitting Rosario to load the bases, then made things much better, striking out dangerous Jose Ramirez and getting Naylor to hit a ground ball up the middle shortstop Wander Franco turned into a double play.
Adam got the Rays into and out of a lesser jam in the seventh. Gonzalez singled to lead off, but Adam struck out Andres Gimenez then got Will Brennan to hit a grounder that first baseman Ji-Man Choi turned into a double play.
Glasnow, making just his third start since returning from August 2021 Tommy John surgery, gave the Rays the strong outing they were hoping for, with five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits.
Having thrown three innings on 50 pitches in his Sept. 28 return, and 3 2/3 on 62 Monday, Glasnow had a longer leash on Saturday — five innings and/or 75-80 pitches.
