Rays head to World Series with win over Red Sox

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
MLB Game Summaries, AP - 3 months ago

The Tampa Bay Rays are going to the World Series for the first time in their 11-year history. After finishing last a year ago, the Rays are American League champions and will host Philadelphia in Game 1 of the World Series starting Wednesday night.

The Rays were a 200-to-1 longshot to reach the World Series. But they won 97 games in the regular season and rode a clutch pitching effort by Matt Garza in a 3-1 win over Boston that earned them the American League pennant. The Rays won the ALCS in seven games after holding a 3-1 lead before Boston made it interesting.

Garza held the Red Sox to two hits and struck out nine in his seven-plus innings. Garza allowed Dustin Pedroia's line-drive home run in the first and was practically unhittable after that.

The Rays endured some anxious moments in the eighth. They used five pitchers in that inning before David Price finally got out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out J.D. Drew on four pitches. Price struck out two batters in the ninth in earning the save.

Rocco Baldelli's single drove in Willie Aybar with the go-ahead run in the fifth. Evan Longoria also had a run-scoring double for his eighth RBI of the series. Aybar added some insurance with a solo homer in the seventh.

The Rays are trying to become the first team to go from having the worst record in the majors to World Series champion in just one season.