Tampa Bay Rays Season Update

The shocking Tampa Bay Rays have not let up since midseason and stand on the doorstep of the World Series.

Tampa Bay Rays: MLB Season

Not even the shadiest or most savvy odds maker in Las Vegas would have put the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL East race, let alone the World Series. Thanks to a great deal of young talent on the mound and at bat, the Tampa Bay Rays are schooling the old MLB powers. At the midseason mark, the Tampa Bay Rays stood atop the AL East with only the Boston Red Sox giving them a run for their money.

The Tampa Bay Rays received little love at the 2008 All-Star Game with only pitcher Scott Kazmir being named a starter with Evan Longoria and Dioner Navarro as reserves. Fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets did not care though and knew that the young talent of the Tampa Bay Rays would take them far. All fans of baseball were forced to give respect to the Tampa Bay Rays as they won the elite AL East division, burying the New York Yankees and coming out ahead of the Boston Red Sox in the process.

Tampa Bays Rays: MLB Postseason

After finishing the regular season with a 97-65 record, the Tampa Bay Rays were ready to go the distance in the MLB playoffs. The Chicago White Sox were their first opponents and many critics doubted that the young Tampa Bay Rays could come through in the clutch against a veteran team. Though the Chicago White Sox played hard and showed their toughness, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated them with relative ease 3-1, much to the delight of fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets. The win over the Chicago White Sox was the first playoff series win in Tampa Bay Rays history.

In the American League Championship Series, the Tampa Bay Rays met their AL East foe, the Boston Red Sox. The two teams had many battles in the regular season, and they both came out about even. The Boston Red Sox won the first game of the series but then dropped three straight to the Tampa Bay Rays, including a five-hour-plus marathon game in Game 2. With the ALCS series at 3-1 in favor of the Tampa Bay Rays, the MLB World Series is only a few innings away and the odds are in favor of the Tampa Bay Rays for one of the few times in history.

Tampa Bays Rays: World Series

The Tampa Bay Rays must not get caught looking ahead to the World Series, but fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets cannot help but dream about seeing their favorite team at the Big Dance for the first time ever. The only certainty in the near future is that the Tampa Bay Rays will have to face the National League Champion Philadelphia Phillies. MLB World Series tickets will deliver a World Series event not to be missed, as two teams try to make their mark in baseball history, which is great news for both franchises.

Tampa Bay Rays: Roster

The roster of the Tampa Bay Rays is deep and even more importantly, young. Many MLB teams making runs at the MLB World Series have lineups filled with aging superstars and high-dollar free agents. The Tampa Bay Rays have been built through the farm system by and large and are a true team of baseball players rather than a group of individuals playing just for their contract money. The Tampa Bay Rays bats are a particularly young and dangerous unit.

Tampa Bay Rays: Offense

Tampa Bay Rays 3B Evan Longoria was the surprise player of the MLB season and earned an All-Star nod in his first year in the majors. With 27 homers on the year, Evan Longoria joins a Tampa Bay Rays offense that is already stacked with long-ball hitters. Evan Longoria has hit five homeruns in the postseason and is a fan favorite. First baseman Carlos Pena led the Tampa Bay Rays in homeruns in 2007 and did so again in 2008 with 31 balls leaving the yard.

Center fielder B.J. Upton only had nine homeruns in the regular season but has been on a hitting bonanza in the MLB postseason with five homeruns. Leadoff hitter Akinori Iwamura almost always gets on base and adds a ton of runs to the Tampa Bay Rays offense as numerous homers from his teammates let him round the bases. All-Star C Dioner Navarro may not be a homerun hitter, but fans with Tampa Bay Rays tickets know that Navarro consistently gets on base and puts together great hitting streaks.

Tampa Bay Rays: Defense

The offense may put tails in seats, but the pitching staff punches the Tampa Bay Rays World Series tickets. LHP Scott Kazmir is a young ace pitcher and is a 2008 All-Star. The development of Scott Kazmir has been a big factor in the success of the Tampa Bay Rays so far. A good lefty is always important, and the sliders and fastballs from Scott Kazmir have retired a ton of batters in the 2008 MLB season.

The fiery RHP James Shields is another ace for the Tampa Bay Rays. With one of the best changeup balls in the game, James Shields is a threat to both left-handed and right-handed players. Fans with Tampa Bay Rays World Series tickets also know that CP Dan Wheeler is a key player in the bullpen, and his closing ability is another one of the chief reasons that the Tampa Bay Rays are near the World Series. Pitchers Andy Sonnanstine and Matt Garza give the Tampa Bay Rays a deep starting rotation.

Tampa Bay Rays: Outlook

If the Tampa Bay Rays can finish off the Boston Red Sox quickly, then they should have time to rest their starting pitchers before the World Series kicks off on October 22, 2008. For the first time ever, Tampa Bay Rays World Series tickets will be on sale. Win or lose, reaching the World Series is an important milestone for the Tampa Bay Rays and shows other teams in the MLB what great drafting and farm system development can do.