Only two teams remain in the battle for the 2026 American League pennant.
The Tampa Bay Rays will face the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Championship Series. The Rays swept the New York Yankees in their American League Division Series matchup on Wednesday, so they should be well-rested for Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday. Meanwhile, the Guardians overcame a 2-0 deficit in their best-of-five series against the Chicago White Sox and won Game 5 on Saturday. Now, Cleveland heads to Tampa Bay with a trip to the World Series on the line.
Here are the scheduled starting pitchers for Game 1 of the 2026 ALCS.
Guardians
One of Cleveland’s trade deadline acquisitions will make his first career postseason start on Monday. Left-hander Foster Griffin is expected to get the ball for the Guardians to begin Game 1. The 31-year-old was a National League All-Star this year before the Washington Nationals traded him to Cleveland in August. The southpaw posted a 5.19 ERA in nine regular-season starts for the Guardians.
Griffin made his MLB playoff debut in Game 3 of Cleveland’s ALDS matchup against the White Sox. He tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief, allowing just one run on two hits and no walks while striking out seven. While the Guardians likely hope the lefty will give them a long outing after their grueling series with Chicago, they probably won’t shy away from going to their bullpen early and often if necessary. Closer Cade Smith pitched in all five games of the ALDS, and Cleveland will likely turn to him again on Monday if Game 1 of the ALCS is close.
Rays
Right-hander Drew Rasmussen will start for Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the ALCS. The 31-year-old started Game 1 of the Rays’ ALDS matchup against the Yankees and was nearly unhittable. The two-time All-Star took a no-hitter into the eighth inning and racked up 10 strikeouts in eight scoreless frames in Tampa Bay’s 1-0 win over New York.
Rasmussen now has a 2.13 ERA in four career postseason appearances (two starts). The Rays will once again look to their ace to set the tone early in the 2026 ALCS.
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