The Improbable Season: How the Tampa Bay Rays took over the baseball world in 2008.

With one out remaining in game seven of the American League Championship Series, fans were standing all across Tampa. Around their televisions, at bars, and in their living rooms everyone knew what was about to happen. Tampa Bay was just a pitch away from the world series. “Swing and a ground ball to second- This should do it! Aki has it, takes it to second himself. This improbable season has another chapter to it! The Rays are going to the World Series!” This was the call that sealed the deal. Rays fans can still hear Dave Willis standing in the radio booth screaming this over the 40,000 fans celebrating in Tropicana field; but there was a lot that happened before this. It wouldn't be right to start here.
The 2008 season marked the 105th anniversary of Major League baseball but only the 10th anniversary of the Tampa Bay Rays franchise. Up until that point the Rays or “Devil Rays” as they were known for the previous nine seasons, had never finished with a winning record. As a matter of fact the Rays were never able to get past last place. The most wins the team had ever finished with was 70. A number so tiny it would be lucky to finish in fourth place. The excitement of being a new franchise had died, attendance was at an all time low and the fans needed something to be excited about.
Something had to change.
On November 8th, 2007 something did change. The Tampa Bay “Devil Rays” decided to drop the name “Devil” in superstition that the name was casting bad juju on the team. They did so in fashion. The team hosted a gathering at Straub Park in St. Petersburg, FL gathering a crowd of about 7,000 people. The re-branded “Rays” had a new name, logo, and uniform. The brand wasn’t the only thing to change. The Rays added several new additions to the lineup including their third overall pick from the 2006 draft Evan Longoria and first overall pick from the 2007 draft David Price. There was a positive feeling floating through the air in St. Pete.
The city’s excitement grew when the Rays finished 18–8 at Spring Training, the best the club had ever finished. On Tuesday, April 8th The Rays drew a crowd of 36,048 people, the most the team had attracted on opening day since its inaugural season in 1998. The Rays lost 5–6. By the end of April the Rays were 14–11. For the first time in club history Tampa Bay was above .500 at the end of the first month. Fans were still skeptical but Tampa Bay had the best record in baseball again at the end of May.
June became one of the most eventful months of the season. On June 5th the Rays were involved in a bench clearing brawl at Fenway Park in Boston, when Coco Crisp charged the mound after being hit by a pitch from James Shields. Multiple players were suspended on both sides. Shields claimed he intended to hit Crisp for his actions the night before when he slid into shortstop Jason Bartlett and second baseman Akinori Iwamura. The brawl symbolized a statement. The Rays were not going to be bullied by teams like the Yankees and Redsox anymore. They wanted to win. Tampa Bay finished June with a record of 50–32, first place in the AL East.
In July analysts began noticing the Rays significant improvement but doubted the Rays ability to finish strong. The Rays entered the All Star break on a seven game losing streak and had fallen from the division leaders, to the race for Wildcard. By the end of July the Rays were barely able to take the division lead back, but nonetheless were 63–44.
As the dog days of August rolled along, the Rays were burdened by injury. Several key players were sent to the disabled list including Jason Bartlett, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, and closing pitcher Troy Percival. Despite their misfortune, the Rays were able to put together their best month of baseball finishing 21–7. On August 29th, The Rays earned their 82nd win, ensuring the club their first winning season in franchise history. The Rays were not done yet. With a five and a half game lead in the division Tampa Bays’ eyes were set on a potential postseason appearance.
On September 20th the Rays clinched their first ever playoff berth. The city of Saint Petersburg rallied and celebrated. The last two home games at Tropicana field were sold out as the Rays finished the year winning the division two games ahead of Boston. For the first time, the baseball season would extend into October for the fans in the bay area.
On October 2nd, Rays fans entered a sold out Tropicana field for the first ever MLB playoff game. The Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) had played their share of playoff games in the building before moving across the bay into an arena of their own. Tropicana field was fairly noisy, full of cowbells and the occasional blow horn that were a popular tradition for the Rays fans to bring into the stadium. The Rays breezed past their first two playoff games at the Trop, winning by scores of 6–4 and 6–2. The Rays dropped game three in front of a sold out crowd at US Cellular Field in Chicago, but were able to regain strength in game four by winning 6–2, thus giving the Rays their first ever postseason series win and sending them to the American League Championship Series.
The American League Championship Series presented the Rays a chance for them to appear in the World Series for the first time. The Rays had slow start in game one however failing to score a single run and allowing the Redsox to win 2–0 at Tropicana field. The loss in game one woke the Rays up. Tampa Bay won game two 9–8, in an offensive battle that lasted almost five and a half hours. The Rays did a bit better defensively in game 2 only allowing a single run and used the long ball to their advantage. The Rays won game three 9–1. After another 11–1 blowout in game 4 the Rays were set to win the ALCS in game 5 at Fenway park. The Rays hit the ground running in game five blasting off home runs like they had been in the previous three games. BJ Upton, Evan Longoria, and Carlos Pena had all hit home runs. When the Rays entered the seventh inning TBS had already set up the American League Champions tarps on the walls for the champagne celebration following the game. The table with the American League Champions shirts, hats, and pins had already been set up as well. When the Rays went back on the field Boston surged, immediately scoring four runs and cutting the Rays lead to three. Tampa Bays pitching coach went in to the locker room and told TBS to put all of it away. It was too late. The Redsox rallied and walked off in the bottom of the ninth inning capping off the largest postseason deficit in MLB history.
When the series shifted back to Tampa the momentum remained with the Redsox who took game six by a score of 4–2. It all came down to a winner takes all match up at Tropicana Field.
On October 9th 2008 Rays fans entered Tropicana Field nervous. After leading the Boston Red Sox three games to one, the Rays had allowed Boston to even the series after an incredible late game comeback at Fenway park in game five and a do-or-die win at Tropicana Field in game 6. Game 7 was scheduled to start at 8:09pm. As anxious as they were, Rays fans were ready to make some noise in the sold out Trop. Dustin Pedroia silenced the crowd in the first inning with a solo home run. Three hours and 41 minutes later people all over the bay area were strung to their radios. Two RBI base hits by Evan Longoria and Rocco Baldelli got the Rays back into it. Willy Aybar hit his own home run giving the Rays a 3–1 lead late. By the seventh inning, every strike thrown resulted in the crowd abruptly standing and cheering. 1. On October 9th 2008 Rays fans entered Tropicana field nervous. After leading the Boston Red Sox three games to one, the Rays had allowed Boston to even the series after an incredible late game comeback at Fenway park in game five and a do-or-die win at Tropicana Field in game 6. Game 7 was scheduled to start at 8:09pm. Three hours and 41 minutes after the scheduled first pitch people all over the bay area were strung to their radios. Jed Lowrie was at bat and Jason Bay was on first base with two outs in the ninth inning. After taking a 95 mph fastball Lowrie swung at the 0–1 pitch. “Swing and a ground ball to second- This should do it! Aki has it, takes it to second himself. This improbable season has another chapter to it! The Rays are going to the World Series!” It was official, the Rays were no longer the laughing stock of baseball. They had officially gone from worst to first. Across the bay the Bucs who were playing the Seahawks had played the last out on the jumbotron. The fans went nuts
Rays fans were calling it “Raymarkable”, a “Rayvolution” The wanted to change the baseball world, and they were doing so in style. Tropicana field was full of blue mohawks, cowbells, and blow horns for the world series. People were finally able to hang Rays pennants next to their Lightning and Bucs pennants. The Rays would eventually lose the world series in five games. The only game Tampa Bay won was game 2. To this day Rays fans will still blame it on the cold. Game five had a 72 hour rain delay that shifted the momentum when the game resumed two days later. A frigid cold front blew in making the conditions for baseball agonizing. For a team that was used to playing inside at a stable 72 degrees the cold front did not help. Regardless Tampa Bay still had something to be proud of. The season instilled hope in the years to come. The following season had the highest average attendance than any of the previous nine seasons.
“We are a collection of moments, of memories, of never forgets” — unknown