Player of the gameBryan BakerTBA1.0ip 0h 0er 1bb 2k
Two weeks ago, Drew Rasmussen stepped away from the rowdy celebration raging in the visitors clubhouse at Yankee Stadium and made it clear that the Rays weren’t done. They had accomplished their regular-season goals, getting back to the postseason and winning their first American League East title in five years, but they weren’t done. They had more in mind. Eleven more wins. Three more chances to pop champagne, pour out bottles of beer and smoke cigars together. The Rays took another big step toward their ultimate goal on Wednesday night at Yankee Stadium, capping a sweep of the Yankees with a 4-3 victory in Game 3 of the AL Division Series. It was the Rays’ first sweep in a best-of-five postseason series (or longer) in franchise history, and it was only the second time the Yankees have ever been swept in a best-of-five series, joining the 1980 ALCS team. Three wins down, eight more to go. Game 1 of the AL Championship Series is set for Monday at Tropicana Field, with the Rays hosting the winner of the Guardians-White Sox series that Chicago currently leads, 2-1. None of this was expected of the Rays. They were widely picked to finish last in the AL East. Even as they spent much of the season atop the AL standings, observers singled out other contenders as the league’s “team to beat.” But they proved themselves throughout the 162-game marathon, and they handily beat the AL’s second-best team in a three-game sprint by playing their game. They pitched well. They played clean defense. And their dynamic lineup showed it can score in a bunch of different ways.
