Two balls, two strikes, one out. Tampa Bay Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria steps up to the plate against New York Yankees pitcher Scott Proctor. He swings, he connects, and it’s a line drive over the short wall in the left field corner at Tropicana Field. Longoria scores the final run giving the Rays the win over the Yankees and stealing the American League Wild Card spot from the Boston Red Sox.
On Sept. 4, the Yankees had all but locked up first place in the American League East Division, leaving the Rays to battle the Red Sox for the Wild Card spot. The Rays trailed the Red Sox by nine games and faced the seemingly imminent prospect of not making it to the postseason. On Sept. 28, the Rays overcame all odds and finalized their four-week struggle against the Red Sox by beating the Yankees 8-7. By overcoming this nine game deficit in the final month of the season, the Rays set a new Major League Baseball record.
Before their games on Sept. 28, both the Red Sox and the Rays were tied with season records of 90 wins and 71 losses. Neither game started well for the Rays. The Yankees were leading 7-0 in the seventh inning, while the Red Sox were leading 3-2 over the Baltimore Orioles. The Rays needed nothing short of a miracle – which is exactly what they got.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Rays scored a bases loaded walk to bring in their first run. Sean Rodriguez was then hit by a pitch to bring in the second run. B.J. Upton hit a sacrifice fly ball to bring in the third run. Evan Longoria then walked up to the plate with two outs and the score 7-3. He hit a home run. With two runners on base, this brought the score to 7-6.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Rays spirit was again dwindling. With two outs, pinch-hitter Dan Johnson stepped up to the plate and, down to his final strike, hit a home run to right field. The game was tied 7-7 and headed to extra innings.
The Rays and the Yankees remained tied until the twelfth inning. As Evan Longoria was stepping up to the plate in the bottom of the twelfth, the score of the Red Sox and Orioles game reached Tropicana Field, showing that the Red Sox had lost 4-3. If the Rays won the game, they won the Wild Card.
When Evan Longoria hit the pitch to left field and saw it sail over the shortest wall that Tropicana Field has to offer, he thrust up his hands and his cheering was lost in the unforgettable roaring of the crowd. The Rays won the Wild Card with a final record of 91-71 while the Red Sox were disappointed with a record of 90-72.
To be a part of this amazing comeback story and continue with the Rays on their journey to the 2011 World Series, don’t miss the first game of the postseason when they face off against the Texas Rangers on Friday, Sept. 30. For the full postseason schedule, visit tampbayrays.com.