Oregon State Professional Athletes

College baseball produces rivalries. Rarely does it produce an American League Championship Series.

Yet here are three Oregon State alumni — Steven Kwan and Travis Bazzana in Cleveland Guardian black and red, Drew Rasmussen in Tampa Bay Rays navy — squaring off for a World Series berth. It's the kind of alumni reunion Corvallis couldn't have scripted.

Rasmussen Deals, Then the Dam Breaks

Rasmussen entered the ALCS as Tampa Bay's ace and the series' most decorated arm — a Cy Young candidate who posted a 2.67 ERA across 172 regular-season innings. He opened Game 1 at Tropicana Field looking every bit the part, working through a dangerous Cleveland lineup for six innings while the Rays built a 2-0 lead. His postseason scoreless streak stretched past 13 innings before Chase DeLauter's sixth-inning solo shot cracked the wall.

It cracked further in the seventh. Patrick Bailey added another solo homer off Rasmussen, tying the game at two. Cleveland eventually pulled away, winning Game 1. Rasmussen's final line: 6.0 innings, 7 strikeouts, 2 earned runs — a performance that looked dominant until the late innings unraveled. His ERA now sits at 1.29 through the postseason, a number that flatters even a tough outing.

Tampa Bay's rotation situation grew more precarious when Shane McClanahan was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs, leaving Rasmussen as the unquestioned anchor of a staff now leaning heavily on Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez behind him.

Kwan and Bazzana Keep Cleveland Rolling

The Guardians came into the ALCS having already erased a 2-0 series deficit against the Chicago White Sox in the Division Series — a comeback that established Kwan and Bazzana as central figures in Cleveland's October identity.

Kwan, the veteran presence in center field, has been steady through the noise. He hit safely in Game 3 of the ALCS (2-for-the-game, .241 average at that point), contributed a hit and a run in the ALDS clincher on October 11, and has maintained a .212 average across a grinding postseason that rewards contact over power. For a lineup built on getting on base and manufacturing runs, Kwan's plate discipline and gap-to-gap approach remain essential.

Bazzana, the sophomore second baseman whose backstory — cricket prodigy turned first-round pick turned ALCS contributor — has made him one of the sport's more compelling new names, has battled through a slow bat in October. His average sat at .148 through Game 4, with hits in multiple games but a contact rate that reflects the difficulty of October pitching. The counting stats are thin, but the 22-year-old Australian is logging experience no prospect development program replicates.

Through Games 3 and 4 results (October 14–15), Cleveland held a 3-2 series lead, with Game 6 scheduled for Saturday, October 17.

The Bigger Picture

An all-Beaver ALCS subplot would be a charming sidebar in most years. In 2026, it's a genuine storyline with stakes attached. Rasmussen is pitching for Tampa Bay's franchise hopes with its rotation depleted. Kwan, meanwhile, is doing so under the shadow of persistent trade speculation that has followed him all season — his value as an outfielder could reshape the winter market if Cleveland's run ends.

For Oregon State, it's a postseason advertisement that no recruiting brochure could replicate.

Drew Rasmussen didn't just pitch well in ALDS Game 1. The Oregon State alum authored one of the most dominant postseason starts in Tampa Bay Rays history — and nearly rewrote the record books entirely.

Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning against the New York Yankees on Saturday, striking out 10 batters and tying a Rays postseason record in the process. Tampa Bay won 1-0, with Rasmussen's outing standing as the entire margin of victory. At one point, he retired 14 consecutive Yankees hitters, turning Tropicana Field into a museum of offensive futility. The no-hit bid was eventually broken up late, but the damage — or rather, the lack of it — was already done. The Yankees were held to one hit and no runs, their best scoring chance extinguished by a baserunning mistake by Austin Wells after the lone knock of the night.

The performance sent shockwaves through the Yankees' camp heading into Game 2, with New York players publicly processing what had just happened to them and the organization scrambling for pitching answers of its own.

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Kwan and Bazzana Carry the Guardians Deep

While Rasmussen was making history in Tampa, two more Beavers were making noise in Cleveland's ALDS run against the Chicago White Sox.

Steven Kwan and Travis Bazzana have been fixtures atop the Guardians' lineup throughout the series — though neither has been immune to scrutiny. Kwan drew attention after appearing to ease up on a bang-bang play at first base in Game 2, sparking a brief but fierce debate about hustle. He's also been the subject of trade speculation, with rival teams reportedly circling should Cleveland choose to move him this offseason.

On the field, both Beavers kept contributing. Kwan went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks in Cleveland's Game 4 blowout win (9-5) on Friday, pushing his ALDS average to .188. Bazzana added a hit, an RBI, and a run in the same game — though he was pulled before the eighth inning, raising health concerns that the club has yet to fully address publicly.

Kwan also delivered in Game 3 (1-for-3, RBI, run scored in a 9-3 win) and checked in with a hit and a run in Game 2, even if that outing drew more attention for the wrong reasons. Bazzana, meanwhile, has been more productive with his on-base skills than his hit column — he drew two walks in Game 3 — and is batting .154 for the series.

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Rutschman's Future in Boston Is the Offseason's Loudest Question

Oregon State's Adley Rutschman finished his first postseason in a Red Sox uniform hitting .216 with a .661 OPS after being acquired from Baltimore at the trade deadline in a blockbuster move that cost Boston multiple top prospects. The Red Sox were eliminated by the Yankees in the Wild Card Round.

The results weren't what Boston envisioned when they paid a steep price to land a three-time All-Star and 2023 Silver Slugger. Reports indicate a veteran scout warned the organization about the Rutschman acquisition before the deadline, and the numbers down the stretch only amplified those concerns. Boston won't tip its hand on his future beyond 2027, but the conversation about whether Rutschman is the right long-term fit is already the loudest one in Fenway this fall.