Travis Bazzana and Cleveland have drawn first blood against Tampa Bay to decide which team wins through to baseball's World Series.
The first Australian to be taken at No.1 in the Major League draft picked up a hit on Tuesday (AEDT) as the Guardians beat the Rays 7-3 in game one of the American League Championship Series.
Tampa Bay were considered favourites and beating them on the road is a significant opening blow for Cleveland in the ALCS.
Cleveland were facing elimination at 2-0 down in the previous AL Division Series against the Chicago White Sox. Instead, the Guardians are now on a four-game winning streak.
The Rays will also host game two on Wednesday. The winner of their best-of-seven series will meet either the Milwaukee Brewers or Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.
Also on Tuesday, the Brewers beat the Dodgers 7-4 to take a two-game-to-nil lead in the National League Championship Series.
In St Petersburg, the home side took a 2-0 lead in the first inning. After levelling the game with a run apiece in the top of the sixth and seventh, Nathaniel Lowe ripped two-run single in the eighth to put the Guardians ahead.
Cleveland then confirmed the win with three more runs in the ninth.
Guardians hero Joe Ramirez led off the eighth with an infield single hit off Rays relief pitcher Tyler Wells, who was given the loss.
Ramirez advanced to third base on a double from rookie Chase DeLauter. One out later, Lowe scored them with his line-drive single to centre field on an 0-2 pitch from Ian Seymour.
Ramirez, who also had an RBI single in the ninth inning, joined DeLauter in collecting three hits apiece.
Those two scored on Jo Adell's two-run double in the ninth as Tampa Bay suffered their first loss of this post-season.
Hunter Gaddis, the fourth of six Cleveland pitchers used in game one, was credited with the win.
DeLauter homered to lead off the sixth inning and Patrick Bailey did the same in the seventh for the Guardians.
Bazzana hit a single with one out in the fourth and then stole second base, but Cleveland were unable to score him.
The second base, who is in his debut season, was subbed out of the game in the bottom of the eighth.
- with Reuters
