The Tampa Bay Rays clinched a Wild Card spot in the 2022 MLB playoffs with a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros on Sept. 30.
Courtesy of @raysbaseball on Twitter
By Max Steele
October baseball is back, and the Tampa Bay Rays punched its ticket into the postseason for the fourth year in a row after clinching an American League (AL) Wild Card spot last Friday night in a win over the Houston Astros.
The feat comes after a season riddled with injuries, personnel changes, salary restraints and competing in the winningest division in baseball — not to mention the preseason lockout or seemingly endless stadium drama.
“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Tampa Bay head coach Kevin Cash said postgame. “To continue to win in the [AL] East is quite the challenge and a testament to the guys. I’ve got a lot of confidence in this group.”
So, it was understandable when the team celebrated the accomplishment by spraying dozens of champagne bottles in the air and dousing each other in beer.
Courtesy of @raysbaseball on Instagram
During the postgame party, Rays’ All-Star pitcher and USF alumnus Shane McClanahan reflected on his historic season, and attributed his personal success to the teammates around him.
“It’s awesome. I feel so lucky to be a part of this team. Everyone this year has done above and beyond,” McClanahan said. “Every time I go out there, I want to do everything I can to help this team win. This is the best team I’ve been a part of.”
The historically low-budget Rays have once again had to rely on young and unproven players to compete in the dominant, and rich, AL East — which has seen three of its five teams clinch the playoffs each year for the past three seasons. This time around, it’s the division-winning New York Yankees (97-60), Toronto Blue Jays (88-69) and Rays (86-72) that will have a shot at the World Series title.
The Rays are currently ranked last as the No. 6 seed going into the playoffs, but with five games still left to play in the regular season, Tampa Bay has the opportunity to move up if the team can finish with a higher record than fellow AL Wild Card holders in the Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners (87-70).
