The Rays took the field in Toronto on Sunday for their 162nd and final game of the regular season not knowing who they would play in the wild-card series that gets underway Tuesday afternoon at Tropicana Field. Would it be the Blue Jays, Astros or Rangers?
The question was answered when the Rays defeated the Blue Jays, 12-8, combined with the Mariners beating the Rangers and the Astros defeating the Diamondbacks. The result was the No. 4 seed Rays face the No. 5 seed Rangers in the best-of-three series in St. Pete.
Each game will be at 3:08 p.m. and will be on ABC.
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Houston won the American League West and has a bye along with American League East-champion Baltimore. Toronto travels to AL Central-winning Minnesota.
The Rays, who hit a club-record 230 home runs and won 99 games, the second-most in team history, are expected send Tyler Glasnow and Zach Eflin to the mound in the first two games of the best-three series, lost four of six to the Rangers this season. The Rays won two of three at home in June and were swept in a three-game series in Arlington in July.
“They’re a really good team with a lot of offense, a pretty versatile offense,” manager Kevin Cash told reporters after the game. “A good mix of righties, lefties and switch-hitters. (Their pitching) has done a nice job. They have had injuries of late, kind of like we’ve had, and they’ve figured out ways to win games.”
Playing Texas (90-72) means a Lowe-versus-Lowe meeting with Rays outfielder Josh and Rangers first baseman Nate, who played with Tampa Bay in 2019 and 2020.
“Their lineup is pretty deep, but our pitchers are pretty good as well,” said Josh Lowe, who noted he received a text from his brother following the game. “It will be a good matchup. It’s going to be exciting.”
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The series matchup means the American League’s two top hitters will be featured. The Rangers’ Corey Seager entered play Sunday leading Yandy Diaz .3298 to .3295 for the American League batting crown. Diaz had the day off while Seager went 0-for-4 at Seattle to slip to .327.
The average of the Rays’ all-star first baseman, who hit .345 in September and .356 in August, officially goes into the books at a rounded-off .330. Seager went into the series in Seattle hitting .333 before going 2-for-14 against the Mariners.
“It’s awesome,” said Diaz, the first player in franchise history to win a batting title. “Something like this is unforgettable. You can’t even think about it.”
Other achievements Sunday included Junior Caminero hitting his first MLB homer and Jonathan Aranda hitting his first career grand slam as part of a day in which he drove in six runs.
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