ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Down to their last chance, the Tampa Bay Rays left no doubt they were World Series-worthy, after all.
The young Rays completed a stunning run to their first pennant, holding off the defending champion Boston Red Sox 3-1 Sunday night behind Matt Garza's masterful pitching in Game 7 of the AL championship series.
The Rays nearly let it slip away when they blew a seven-run lead late in Game 5 and lost meekly Saturday night. But when rookie David Price struck out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning, Tampa Bay showed it had plenty of resolve, too.
Long baseball's doormat, the Rays were a 200-1 shot to win the title before the season. Now, they'll host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 Wednesday night.
Garza limited the Red Sox to one run through seven innings, and the Rays got RBIs from Evan Longoria and Rocco Baldelli and a solo home run from Willy Aybar.
Longoria's fourth-inning double off Jon Lester erased a 1-0 lead the Red Sox took on a Dustin Pedroia first-inning homer. Baldelli's single on an 0-2 pitch put the Rays ahead in the fifth after Willy Aybar doubled and Dioner Navarro reached on an infield single.
Pedroia's one-out shot in the first was the only hit off Garza, who took the mound for Tampa Bay with something - perhaps cotton balls - stuffed in his ears to help drown out the noise at sold-out Tropicana Field.
The right-hander walked the next batter, David Ortiz, then retired seven in a row before hitting Pedroia just above the left elbow with a 96 mph fastball with two outs in the third. Garza fanned Ortiz to end the inning.
Leadoff man Akinori Iwamura singled for the first hit off the left-hander in the fourth. After B.J. Upton struck out and Carlos Pena grounded into a force play at second, Longoria sliced an opposite-field double to right that enabled a sliding Pena to score from first base.
The Red Sox had a play at the plate, but the relay throw from second baseman Pedroia was up the line a bit.
Baldelli's hit made it 2-1 with no outs in the fifth. But Jason Bartlett struck out, Iwamura grounded back to Lester and Upton hit a soft liner to shortstop, stranding runners at second and third.
Rays 3
Red Sox 1
The Rays nearly let it slip away when they blew a seven-run lead late in Game 5 and lost meekly Saturday night. But when rookie David Price struck out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning, Tampa Bay showed it had plenty of resolve, too.
Long baseball's doormat, the Rays were a 200-1 shot to win the title before the season. Now, they'll host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 Wednesday night.
Garza limited the Red Sox to one run through seven innings, and the Rays got RBIs from Evan Longoria and Rocco Baldelli and a solo home run from Willy Aybar.
Longoria's fourth-inning double off Jon Lester erased a 1-0 lead the Red Sox took on a Dustin Pedroia first-inning homer. Baldelli's single on an 0-2 pitch put the Rays ahead in the fifth after Willy Aybar doubled and Dioner Navarro reached on an infield single.
Pedroia's one-out shot in the first was the only hit off Garza, who took the mound for Tampa Bay with something - perhaps cotton balls - stuffed in his ears to help drown out the noise at sold-out Tropicana Field.
The right-hander walked the next batter, David Ortiz, then retired seven in a row before hitting Pedroia just above the left elbow with a 96 mph fastball with two outs in the third. Garza fanned Ortiz to end the inning.
Leadoff man Akinori Iwamura singled for the first hit off the left-hander in the fourth. After B.J. Upton struck out and Carlos Pena grounded into a force play at second, Longoria sliced an opposite-field double to right that enabled a sliding Pena to score from first base.
The Red Sox had a play at the plate, but the relay throw from second baseman Pedroia was up the line a bit.
Baldelli's hit made it 2-1 with no outs in the fifth. But Jason Bartlett struck out, Iwamura grounded back to Lester and Upton hit a soft liner to shortstop, stranding runners at second and third.
Rays 3
Red Sox 1
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