Breakthrough Season Ends in Disappointment for the Rays
October 30, 2008
Filed under: Rays, AL East, MLB Playoffs
In a game that boils down to 3 1/2 innings, even the smallest mistake can cost either team. The team that gets fewer at-bats has even less margin for error. That was the situation that the Rays found themselves in tonight and in the end, it was probably their mistakes that kept them from extending this World Series. First, Joe Maddon left J.P. Howell in the game to bunt Jason Bartlett from first to second with one out in the seventh. Bartlett then crazily tried to score from second on a grounder up the middle to Chase Utley and was thrown out by a wide margin at the plate. In the bottom of the inning, Howell, the lefty, gave up a double to Pat Burrell, which resulted in the winning run. We can quibble with details (Maddon wanted the lefty to throw breaking pitches to Burrell, but Burrell had been struggling with everything in this series), but the fact is this: the Rays came tantalizingly close to winning the World Series this year and they didn't. The team that had never won more than 70 games, grew up, won 97 during the season, eight more in the playoffs, and fell three wins short of the ultimate goal. It may not be the ending they wanted, but it was one helluva run nonetheless .
That's likely no consolation for Tampa tonight, but I'm not going to be the first or last person to tell you that the Rays are not the Rockies or Tigers. This is a team that's built for at least another year and probably two more before the payroll starts to run high enough for them to have to start trading away good talent. Even when that happens, they're a very well run team with Andrew Friedman at the helm. They're sad tonight, but they've got every reason to think that they're going to get another chance at this.
Breakthrough Season Ends in Disappointment for the Rays originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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