The Rays were projected to finish third in the AL East despite winning back-to-back division titles, and the pundits were on target as Tampa Bay placed third behind the Yankees and Blue Jays. The Rays earned their fourth consecutive playoff berth before losing in a two-game sweep to the Guardians in the wild card series.
Left fielder Randy Arozarena smashed a team-high 20 homers and drove in 89 runs, while southpaw Shane McClanahan led the team in wins (12), ERA (2.54), and strikeouts (194).
Tampa Bay is a solid organization from top to bottom and will be in the hunt for a fifth straight playoff appearance in 2023.
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American League (AL) East division team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. They were founded in 1998 as an expansion team and joined the AL East division the same year. Initially called the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, they changed their name in 2007.
Though the Rays have never won a World Series, they've won two AL pennants (1998 and 2020) and four AL East Division titles (most recently in 2021). Some iconic moments and past wins include winning their first-ever game (March 31, 1998, against Detroit Tigers), advancing to their first post-season in 2008 after beating Boston Red Sox in a one-game playoff, winning the AL pennant and making it to World Series for the first time, and winning the AL pennant again in 2020 after beating Houston Astros 4-3.
They play their home games at Tropicana Field located in St. Petersburg, Florida, their home ever since their inaugural season.
The biggest rivals of the Tampa Bay Rays are the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, due to both teams being part of the AL East where they often for the divisional crown. Over recent years, they have seen mixed results against these two historic teams but they defeated the Red Sox to win their first AL pennant.
Some key players throughout history for the Tampa Bay Rays include Evan Longoria, Carlos Pena, James Shields, Scott Kazmir, and Roberto Hernandez.
