November 4, Game 6:
Well the Rays have squandered their series advantage and it's down to a Game 7 tomorrow. The 8-5 scoreline tonight flattered the Rays as Atlanta got to Tyler Glasnow for 3 1st-inning runs (all with 2 out) and built the lead from there. Only a 9th inning rally made the score respectable, and although the Rays had the tying runs on base with two out, Keston Hiura whiffed to end the game. Glasnow was far from his best, and a sequence of hits started by Mookie Betts (who else?) made it 3-0 in the 1st. Glasnow settled down from there for a few innings but was then hit for HRs by Christian Pache and Cal Raleigh and Ronald Acuna's HR off Christian Little made it 8-1. Nick Gonzales was the only Ray to get something off Ian Anderson in his 6 strong innings with a solo HR, Austin Meadows hit one, and then they had their too little, too late rally in the 9th. So it's all down to Shane McClanahan tomorrow against Ross Stripling. That matchup went well for the Rays in Game 3 but then again tonight's matchup went well for the Rays in Game 2.
November 5, Game 7:
WORLD CHAMPIONS AGAIN!
The Tampa Bay Rays took their 2nd World Series in 3 years with an 11-3 thrashing of the Atlanta Braves in which they quickly answered any questions about "momentum" or "choking" with a 4-run first inning. Vidal Brujan led off with a double, scored on an Austin Meadows double (whereupon Meadows had to leave with a calf cramp) and then Keston Hiura, who struck out to end Game 6 with a chance to tie or win it, drilled a 3-run HR into the Truist Park LF stands to make it 4-0 and the Rays never looked back from there on their way to a championship. But they weren't satisfied and continued to add on. Alec Bohm, who unsurprisingly was named World Series MVP, drilled a 2-run single to make it 6-1 in top of the 3rd. And when the Braves threatened to make it a game by pulling within 6-3 in the 5th, Keibert Ruiz went yard to make it 7-3 in the 6th and singles by Hunter Bishop (who replaced Meadows and went 3-3 with 4 runs scored), Spencer Torkelson and Bohm upped the lead to 8-3. Then in the 9th they added 3 runs on emphasis on a Tork RBI double, Hiura RBI single and a double play grounder. Shane McClanahan got the start and although he was nicked for a run in the 1st pitched pretty well through the 4th. The 5th, however, was another story as he yielded a leadoff homer to Atlanta P Hector Yan, gave up a triple to Christian Pache and a sac fly, and then walked Ronald Acuna Jr with the ludicrously hot Mookie Betts (who had driven in the 1st inning run with an RBI double) due up. So Liam Hendriks came in, and despite Acuna stealing 2nd and 3rd, got Betts to pop up on the infield and then got a groundball to end the inning. He stayed on through the 6th and picked up the win, and the combination of him, Jose Alvarado in the 7th, Nick Anderson in the 8th and Jasseel De La Cruz in the 9th pitched 4 2/3 perfect (except for a Vidal Brujan error) innings to finish it out as the best bullpen in baseball never gave Atlanta a chance to even think about a comeback. Unlike 2023, where everything (except the ALDS) came easy for the Rays with 115 wins on their way to a World Series sweep over the Padres, this year's model had to overcome regular season struggles, winning 19 fewer games than 2023, not putting away the division until late September and having to do it over the last 2 1/2 months (including postseason) without one of the game's best players in Wander Franco. (In fairness to Atlanta, they played the Series without Ozzie Albies and Freddie Freeman, although all 4 Rays wins were blowouts so I'm not sure they make a difference there). Still this has turned out to be the most dominant 3-year run by a team (2 titles, 3 WS appearances) since the Yankees of the late 90s and early 00s. We likely say goodbye to Austin Meadows (and perhaps Jose Alvarado) next season. Although he had a pedestrian-by-his-standards regular season, Meadows had a huge postseason and he'll be missed but as always with this franchise it's next man up, and Hunter Bishop has shown he's ready to take over in RF. Most of the pitching staff returns with right now only the 5th starter job in question but Christian Little and his electric stuff has the inside track there. We'll see what the offseason brings but don't look for major changes. I'd like better defense at 3B but Keston Hiura's bat is that good and we just won a title with him and his 45 defense so it's not a big priority. So let another parade down Central Avenue in St. Pete begin!
Let's take a look at that trophy:
