Level 1 - Absolute Beginner
The Tampa Bay Rays played the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday, October 18. The Rays won, 3 to 1.
A Rays pitcher named Drew Rasmussen played very well. He pitched for seven innings. The Guardians scored only one run.
Now the Rays lead the series, 3 games to 2. The next game is Monday night in Florida.
The winner of this series goes to the World Series. The Milwaukee Brewers are already waiting there.
- pitcher
- A baseball player who throws the ball.
- inning
- One part of a baseball game.
- series
- A group of games between two teams.
- lead
- To be ahead.
- run
- A point in baseball.
- win
- To get the best score.
- next
- Coming after this one.
- waiting
- Staying until something happens.
Level 2 - Elementary
The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 3 to 1 on Sunday, October 18, in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. The Rays now lead the series 3 games to 2.
Pitcher Drew Rasmussen was the star. He allowed only one run in seven innings, the second playoff win of his career. Tampa Bay scored in the first, second and third innings, and Cleveland answered only once, in the sixth.
The series was tied 2 to 2 before the game. Rain delayed Game 4 by a day, and the Rays then won it 7 to 3 in Cleveland.
Game 6 is Monday night, October 19, at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field in Florida. One more win sends the Rays to the World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, which opens on October 23.
- championship
- A contest to decide the best team.
- allow
- To let something happen.
- delay
- To make something happen later.
- answer
- To reply, here by scoring.
- tied
- Having the same score.
- star
- The best player in a game.
- playoff
- A game played after the regular season.
- opens
- Starts.
Level 3 - Intermediate
The Tampa Bay Rays moved one win from the World Series on Sunday night, beating the Cleveland Guardians 3 to 1 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series to take a 3 to 2 lead. Drew Rasmussen allowed a single run across seven innings for his second postseason victory.
Tampa Bay manufactured its offense early, scoring in each of the first three innings with a mix of hitting, running and bunting that reports described as enough, while the defense held firm behind Rasmussen. Cleveland's only run did not arrive until the sixth.
The series had been level at two games each after a rain out pushed Game 4 to Saturday evening, where the Rays won 7 to 3 in Cleveland. Having ridden that momentum home, Tampa Bay now heads to Tropicana Field for Game 6 on Monday, October 19, at 8 p.m.
Waiting in the World Series is Milwaukee. The Brewers swept the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series to reach their first World Series since 1982, and the Fall Classic opens on October 23.
- postseason
- The games played after the regular baseball season.
- manufactured
- Created through effort and planning.
- offense
- The team that is trying to score.
- held firm
- Stayed strong without giving way.
- level
- Equal in score.
- rain out
- A game stopped or delayed because of rain.
- momentum
- Forward energy built from recent success.
- swept
- Won every game in a series.
Level 4 - Advanced
Tampa Bay strode to the brink of the World Series on Sunday night, dispatching Cleveland 3 to 1 in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series and seizing a 3 to 2 lead. Drew Rasmussen was the architect, conceding a lone run across seven innings to record the second postseason win of his career.
The Rays built their cushion early, scoring in each of the first three innings through a combination of hitting, base running and bunting that one report summed up as just enough. The defense was lauded as well, snuffing out threats behind Rasmussen until Cleveland finally dented the scoreboard in the sixth.
The result restored order after a disjointed stretch. Rain pushed Game 4 to Saturday evening, where Tampa Bay won 7 to 3 in Cleveland to square the series at two games apiece, and the Rays now return to Tropicana Field for Game 6 on Monday, October 19, at 8 p.m., needing one more victory.
At the end of that road stands Milwaukee, a team that dismantled the Dodgers in a four game sweep to claim its first pennant since 1982. The World Series begins on October 23, and the Rays will want to avoid a deciding game on the road to get there.
- brink
- The edge, the point just before something happens.
- dispatching
- Defeating quickly and efficiently.
- architect
- The person chiefly responsible for a plan or result.
- conceding
- Allowing the opponent to score.
- cushion
- A safety margin, such as a lead.
- lauded
- Praised.
- disjointed
- Lacking smooth connection.
- pennant
- The championship of a baseball league.
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