Tampa Bay Rays

The road to the World Series in the American League runs through Tampa Bay.

The Tampa Bay Rays clinched the No. 1 seed in the AL playoffs and home-field advantage with a 7-0 victory over the Houston Astros on Wednesday. Drew Rasmussen allowed a single hit in five shutout innings, while Brandon Lowe and Ji-Man Choi spearheaded the offensive effort with home runs.

With home-field advantage now in their back pocket, the Rays will face the winner of the single-elimination AL Wild Card Game. They also have the chance to set their rotation and capitalize on the advantage having the No. 1 seed provides.

After all, the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays are all battling for the two wild-card spots.

Whichever teams land those spots will surely rely on a key pitcher in the single-elimination game and start somewhat behind when facing the Rays in the Division Series.

While winning enough in the regular season to have home-field advantage is impressive, Tampa Bay is in championship-or-bust mode after coming so close to winning the World Series last year. It reached the Fall Classic, just to lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers in heart-breaking fashion in Game 6.

It seemed as if the Rays were going to force a decisive Game 7 with Blake Snell cruising in that contest, but manager Kevin Cash removed the southpaw after just 5.1 innings and 73 pitches. The bullpen was unable to keep the Dodgers off the board and lost the chance at a World Series title.

To the Rays' credit, they didn't let last year's disappointment derail this season.

They used their typical formula of unheralded stars and won an American League East division loaded with contenders with the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays. All three of those teams feature household names in their lineup but could not keep pace with the balanced division winners.

Look for Lowe, Nelson Cruz, Joey Wendle, Randy Arozarena, Mike Zunino, Kevin Kiermaier and others to give opposing pitchers fits throughout the postseason, especially playing in front of the home fans.

Tampa Bay was two wins away from a championship last season. It has the talent to take the next step this time around and capture the franchise's first World Series crown.

Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg announced on the team's pregame radio show Tuesday (h/t Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times) that the team has scrapped plans to advertise the franchise's desire to split future seasons between Tampa and Montreal.

"I'm really here to speak directly to our fans today," Sternberg said. "And to apologize, quite frankly. I've always said that baseball is meant to be fun and engaging and exciting. Brings a community together.

"I made a big mistake, a real mistake, in trying to promote our sister-city plan with a sign right now in our home ballpark. I absolutely should have known better. And really, I'm sorry for that. I'm here to tell ... the fans that the sign is not going to go up."

Rays president Matt Silverman said on last Saturday's This Week in Rays Baseball radio show (h/t Topkin) that the team was going to advertise its plan on the outfield wall during the playoffs.

"We're going to add a sign in the right-field foul territory with a very simple Tampa Bay Montreal graphic," Silverman said.

"Especially with the eyes of baseball on us this October, we want that visible symbol of our plan and our excitement for it. It will mark the effort subtly and keep the focus on winning."

The American League East champions are scheduled to begin their division series on Oct. 7 against a to-be-determined opponent.

The Rays' Tropicana Field lease is set to expire in 2027.

Sternberg told Topkin last December that the proposed move is the "only option in my mind":

We are getting toward 2028 and you can't snap your fingers and just have the stadium show up. It's getting trickier and trickier by the year to get something done. This year certainly set things back, but fortunately we've got a strong group of people who work for us and we've got a very motivated group of people in Montreal who want us. And I think we have a plan that makes incredible sense. At least it does to me. And we're going to try to see it through.

But Sternberg admitted that the timing of the advertising in relation to the team's impending postseason run was an issue:

There's been a lot. There's been a lot written about it nationally, locally, in blogs and on sites. I know we have passionate fans who love this team. And I'm forever grateful for that. And that passion shows itself in many ways.

The last thing I want to do is discourage any of that passion. The mistake I made here is directing that passion away from the field. Our fans deserve to be focused on Wander Franco, Randy Arozarena, Brandon Lowe. This has been an absolutely wonderful season. And it's not over yet, obviously. There'll be time to discuss and debate the future of Rays baseball. Right now it's time to enjoy Rays baseball.

Tampa Bay is in Houston for a three-game series against the Astros, and the Rays only need one win to clinch home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. The Rays also need to win just three of their next six games to earn 100 regular-season victories for the first time in franchise history.

They look like the team to beat in the AL as they search for their second consecutive World Series appearance.

Naturally, any advertising regarding the potential of the team spending future seasons in Montreal drew the ire of fans, but that idea has now been axed as the Rays look forward to potentially winning their first World Series title since the team's MLB debut in 1998.

The Tampa Bay Rays clinched their second consecutive American League East title Saturday after defeating the Miami Marlins 7-3.

Starting pitcher Shane McClanahan got the win after tossing five innings of one-run ball. At the dish, catcher Mike Zunino led the way with a two-run blast in the fifth to give Tampa Bay a 3-1 edge.

Second baseman and leadoff hitter Brandon Lowe set the table with four hits, including a pair of RBI doubles.

The Boston Red Sox fell 5-3 to the New York Yankees earlier Saturday, meaning that the Rays only needed one more win to clinch the division. They got the job done with seven regular-season games remaining.

The Rays won the AL East last year after posting a 40-20 record during the pandemic-shortened season. They beat the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Houston Astros in the AL playoffs before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 in the World Series.

Tampa Bay is hoping to clinch its second consecutive AL pennant en route to winning the first World Series in franchise history.

Now the Rays can set their sights on clinching home-field advantage throughout the American League playoffs.

They are in line to do so: Following the win, Tampa Bay led the Houston Astros by five games in that race. The Rays can take care of their own business there, as they'll be traveling to Houston for a three-game series beginning Tuesday.

Earning the No. 1 seed would mean a date with the AL Wild Card Game winner. The Yankees and Red Sox, who have matching 88-67 records, currently occupy those two spots. 

Tampa closes its season with a Sunday matinee versus the Marlins, the aforementioned three-game Astros series and a three-game road trip to New York to play the Yankees.

The Tampa Bay Rays intend to use the postseason to boost their plan to split future seasons between Tampa and Montreal. 

Rays president Matt Silverman appeared on Saturday's This Week in Rays Baseball radio show to discuss the plan that includes putting a sign on one of the outfield walls at Tropicana Field. 

“We’re going to add a sign in the right field foul territory with a very simple Tampa Bay Montreal graphic,” Silverman said (h/t Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times). “Especially with the eyes of baseball on us this October, we want that visible symbol of our plan and our excitement for it. It will mark the effort subtly and keep the focus on winning.”

The Rays' idea of splitting home games between Tampa and Montreal was first brought forward by team owner Stuart Sternberg in December 2019. 

Speaking to Topkin about the plan, Sternberg called the split home the easiest way to keep the Rays in Tampa. 

Talks between the Rays and local government officials in Tampa over a new stadium have been ongoing for years.

As recently as August, Charlie Frago of the Tampa Bay Times noted Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and city council members were fine with the split-season concept after meeting with team officials. 

Frago added Castor and the city council are still hopeful about the possibility of reaching a deal for a new ballpark. 

Topkin, citing sources in the Le Journal de Montreal, noted a deal between the Rays and city of Montreal could be announced "sometime after the Nov. 7 Montreal city elections, and that 'an important meeting' will be held 'very soon' in Florida to finalize details."

The Rays are tied to St. Petersburg through the 2027 season as part of their lease agreement with the city. 

Tropicana Field has been the Rays' home since their inaugural season in 1998. The stadium is often cited as one of the worst in Major League Baseball, both for its aesthetics and poor location within the city. 

Despite the franchise's consistent success for more than a decade, the Rays routinely rank at or near the bottom of the league in attendance figures. 

Montreal hasn't had an MLB team since the Expos relocated to Washington D.C. after the 2004 season. 

The Rays will host the first two games of the American League Division Series starting on Oct. 7.    

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Ryan Borucki and manager Charlie Montoyo have been suspended after Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was hit by a pitch during Wednesday's game.

Borucki received a three-game suspension, which he is expected to appeal. Montoyo told reporters at Target Field that he received a one-game ban, and he will serve it on Thursday against the Minnesota Twins. 

The situation between Kiermaier and the Jays began on Monday night. The Rays outfielder picked up a data card that fell out of Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk's wristband as he was making a tag on Kiermaier at the plate. 

Per Arash Madani of SportsNet, the card contained Toronto's pitching game plan for Rays hitters. 

Montoyo told reporters after Tuesday's game between the two teams that Rays manager Kevin Cash apologized to him for the situation. The Blue Jays skipper described it as "agua under the bridge" at that point. 

Borucki apparently didn't get that message for the final game of the series on Wednesday night. The left-hander hit Kiermaier in the back with his first pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning. 

Both benches cleared, though there was no physical altercation, and Borucki was immediately ejected from the game. Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker was also tossed out by the umpires after arguing about Borucki's ejection. 

The Rays went on to win the game 7-1 to clinch their third consecutive postseason berth.    

The supposed truce between the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays lasted just seven innings. 

In the bottom of the eighth Wednesday, the Jays took out the remainder of their frustration with Tampa's Kevin Keirmaier, hitting him with a 93 mph fastball in the numbers and causing both benches to clear.   

Nothing else come of the fracas, which goes back to Kiermaier picking up a data card dropped by Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk during a play at the plate earlier in the series. Toronto was incensed that their American League East rival had access to its scouting report. 

Earlier Wednesday, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported Rays manager Kevin Cash and Jays skipper Charlie Montoyo cleared the air over the incident. That message apparently wasn't relayed to Toronto reliever Ryan Borucki, who will likely face a suspension unless MLB buys his excuse that he just "missed" with his pitch. 

The Tampa Bay Rays are headed to the playoffs for the third straight year after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 on Wednesday.

Austin Meadows blasted a three-run homer, Randy Arozarena smacked three hits and six Rays pitchers combined to allow just four hits.

Tampa Bay can finish no worse than the second American League Wild Card spot, but an AL East title appears to be its destiny. The Rays lead the second-place Boston Red Sox by 6.5 games for the division crown with nine matchups left.

They also currently own the AL's best record by three games over the Houston Astros.

The Rays have steadily improved since going 68-94 and finishing last in the AL East in 2016. They added 12 wins in 2017 before going 90-72 in 2018.

That wasn't good enough for the playoffs, but a 96-66 record did the trick in 2019.

Once there, the Rays took the eventual pennant-winning Astros to the five-game limit in the AL Division Series before losing.

The 2020 season saw the Rays win the AL East before taking down the New York Yankees and Astros in the playoffs to take their first pennant since 2008. They pushed the favored Los Angeles Dodgers to six games in the World Series before bowing out.

This year's Rays look primed for another World Series campaign. They have a deep and balanced team once again, and now they've added prodigious power hitter Nelson Cruz from the Minnesota Twins to help them in the stretch run.

Arozarena, Meadows, Mike Zunino and Brandon Lowe provide the pop in this lineup alongside Cruz. Rookie sensation and former No. 1 overall prospect Wander Franco has also starred at shortstop.

The Rays are also excellent in the field, especially with Kevin Kiermaier patrolling center. The three-time Gold Glove winner has led a Rays defense that sits third in the AL in fielding percentage.

The Rays' pitching strength lies in the bullpen, which is a fantastic group that includes a pair of sub-2.00 ERA relievers in Collin McHugh and Andrew Kittredge, the latter of whom is on the 10-day injured list with neck tightness.

Closer Diego Castillo has enjoyed a solid year too with a 2.72 ERA and 14 saves.

The Rays are doing all this despite missing ace pitcher Tyler Glasnow, who underwent successful Tommy John surgery and is out until 2023. Glasnow was 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 88.0 innings before being lost for the season.

Tampa Bay has somehow made it work without him thanks in part to pitchers such as Shane McClanahan (9-6, 3.51 ERA) and Drew Rasmussen (3-0, 2.67 ERA).

Now the Rays will search for their first World Series title in franchise history, which dates back to 1998.

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier claims he did not look at the Toronto Blue Jays data card that he picked up after being tagged out in the sixth inning of the Rays-Jays game on Monday.

"I never even looked at it, I'll say that," Kiermaier told Arash Madani of Sportsnet. "But at the same time, I'm not going to drop it or hand it back."

Madani provided detail, highlights and more Kiermaier quotes.

The Rays ended up winning Monday's game 6-4.

The Kiermaier incident brought forth a host of opinions.

"Kiermaier did absolutely nothing wrong," Chris Carlin of ESPN Radio tweeted."Bad on Kirk for dropping it. Sorry."

The Toronto Star had this take, per an opinion piece from Mike Wilner.

Tao of Stieb, a Sportsnet blogger, tweeted this perspective: "I would have more respect for Kiermaier if he just owned it. If he saw it and picked it up, so be it. All this 'aw shucks, I didn’t even, I don’t know, I just handed it to someone and never heard of it again' is pretty fake."

As Kiermaier noted, he did not give the card back.

This incident occurred during a very important series with postseason ramifications for both teams.

The Tampa Bay Rays placed shortstop Wander Franco on the 10-day injured list Saturday because of a right hamstring injury.

Franco went down in Friday's loss to the Detroit Tigers and was replaced by Joey Wendle. The burgeoning superstar was 1-for-1 before exiting, reaching base for the 39th straight game.

Tampa Bay recalled Taylor Walls from Triple-A Durham in a corresponding roster move.

Franco, who made his MLB debut in June at age 20, is hitting .285/.347/.463 with seven home runs and 36 RBI. He's been spectacular over the last month-and-a-half after a rough start, hitting .313 in August and posting 11 hits in 30 September at-bats.

The injury couldn't have come at a worse time for the Rays, who are looking to maintain their large lead in the American League East and clinch home-field advantage for the AL playoffs. They have built a nine-game lead over the Boston Red Sox and are 5.5 games ahead of the Houston Astros for the best record in the Junior Circuit.

Nelson Cruz continued his power surge and made a little history along the way while leading the Tampa Bay Rays to a 12-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

The 41-year-old Cruz launched two home runs during the game to give him 30 for the season and 447 in his career. ESPN noted he became the oldest player in Major League Baseball history to reach the 30-homer total in a season, surpassing David Ortiz and Darrell Evans.

Ortiz and Evans were each 40 when they accomplished the feat in 2016 and 1987, respectively.

"That's definitely a privilege. David Ortiz means so much to baseball, also he's Dominican," Cruz, who is from the Dominican Republic, said. "So, it's an honor to be by his side."

The Rays slugger now has four home runs in the last four games and three in the first two contests of the series against the Red Sox.

Tampa Bay will look to complete the sweep Wednesday and move further ahead in the division. It leads the American League East by 9.5 games over the New York Yankees and 10 games over the Red Sox.