The Cleveland Guardians may not have secured their 7-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series without Patrick Bailey.

Cleveland acquired Bailey from the San Francisco Giants in early May and eventually moved on from young catcher Bo Naylor, trading him to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Bailey, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, was not known for his hitting, creating questions when the trade was completed. However, he has repeatedly delivered in important moments during Cleveland’s 2026 postseason run.

On Monday, Bailey helped the Guardians erase a two-run deficit by hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning to tie the game. He finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.

Chase DeLauter had pulled Cleveland within one run with his own home run during the previous inning.

The Guardians scored two more runs in the eighth, with José Ramírez, DeLauter and Nathaniel Lowe contributing as Cleveland moved ahead 4-2.

Tampa Bay answered with one run in the bottom half, but the Guardians added three more in the ninth to establish their 7-3 advantage.

That decisive offensive surge may not have developed without Bailey tying the game.

In six postseason games and 19 at-bats, the 27-year-old is hitting .368/.400/.684 with two home runs, three RBIs and a 1.084 OPS.

San Francisco may regret trading Bailey. He hit 10 home runs in 112 games this season, including one in 30 games with the Giants and nine in 82 games with Cleveland. Bailey had only 21 home runs in his first 353 MLB games, all with San Francisco.

He has homered in two of his last three games, demonstrating that he is built for October.

Bailey’s previous home run came during Cleveland’s 9-5 victory in Game 4 of the American League Division Series against the Chicago White Sox. With the series at stake and the Guardians trailing by two runs, he went deep in the fifth inning to ignite the offense.

Bailey’s production has not appeared without warning.

Bailey finished the regular season strongly, hitting .269/.352/.462 in his last 29 games. Cleveland went 20-9 during that stretch, while Bailey contributed 21 hits, three doubles, four home runs and 14 RBIs.

Those results reflect the work Bailey and the Guardians have invested in improving his offensive game.

His preparation, composure and willingness to adjust have helped him become more than a defense-first catcher. Bailey does not need to carry Cleveland’s lineup, but he has shown an ability to remain calm when one swing can change a postseason game.

He also continues anchoring the pitching staff behind the plate, balancing game-calling responsibilities with growing offensive expectations.

Cleveland hopes Bailey can maintain that production throughout a competitive American League Championship Series against Tampa Bay. San Francisco can only consider what might have been.