The Tampa Bay Rays roared into the American League Championship Series with a 6-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday, sealing their division series by a 3-1 margin with a win highlighted by two B.J. Upton homers.
The Rays outfielder blasted two solo shots and first baseman Carlos Pena knocked in two runs to propel the Rays to their first ever postseason series win on their playoffs debut.
"I've gotten back to my strength, kind of got a couple of pitches to hit up in the zone and basically took advantage of them," said Upton, who also had a two-run homer in Game 3 on Sunday.
"For us to come in here and win a road game to put us into the next round, it does everything for our confidence," he added.
Before taking the AL East Division crown this year, the 11-year-old club had never finished a regular season in better than fourth place.
Having to contend with division rivals like powerhouses the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox made the Rays' "worst-to-first" season all the more remarkable.
"What better battle testing can you possibly get than going to Fenway often and going to Yankee Stadium often and of course to Baltimore and Toronto," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of his division rivals.
The series victory over the White Sox marked only the sixth time an expansion team had won its playoffs series debut.
In a complete team effort, Rays batters chipped away at White Sox pitching throughout the game, scoring runs in five of nine innings. Losing pitcher Gavin Floyd lasted only three innings after allowing four runs on five hits.
Starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine (1-0) held the White Sox to two runs on three hits through 5-2/3 innings and the Rays bullpen held the home team scoreless the rest of the way.
"We pitched well. We caught the ball on defense once again. We had some timely hits," Maddon said.
"When you keep things simple and you just play the fundamentals of the game appropriately, then good things can happen."
The Rays made their domination count early in the game, with Upton going deep in the first and third innings.
"Getting the runs early is huge for your confidence," Sonnanstine said. "It gives me more leeway and I think it makes me more effective."
Outfielder Carl Crawford scored in the fourth on a double by designated hitter Cliff Floyd. Up next, catcher Dioner Navarro singled to score Floyd before Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen removed his starter.
Pena knocked in two runs with singles in the fifth and seventh frames.
Solo home runs by first baseman Paul Konerko and outfielder Jermaine Dye accounted for Chicago's only runs.
Red Sox advance
In Boston, Boston's Jed Lowrie singled in the game winning run as Jason Bay beat the throw to home and the Red Sox defeated Anaheim 3-2 to advance to the American League Championship series on Monday.
"I got a curve ball down in the zone and I was able get barrel on it and find a hole," rookie Lowrie said.
"It doesn't feel any better than to be able to do it here in Boston."
Bay dropped in a bloop ground-rule double with one out. Mark Kotsay's line drive was then caught by first baseman Mark Teixeira, the Angels had a chance to get out of trouble.
Lowrie then smashed a hard roller just past the outstretched arms of second baseman Howie Kendrick to allow Canadian Bay to charge home and beat the throw from the outfield for the game-winning run.
"I can't prepare for something like this," Bay said. "It is a dream. This is step one or a couple more steps we need to get where we want to go."
The Red Sox now will face off against the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays in one of two Major League Baseball semifinals series. The Red Sox and Tampa series begins on Friday.
The Angels were trying to beat Boston for the second consecutive game after the Red Sox had won the previous 11 matchups between the two.
(Agencies via China Daily October 8, 2008)