Tampa Bay, with an eighth inning home run off one of the game’s top closers, secured their spot in the American League Championship Series with a 2-1 win Friday over the New York Yankees.
The Rays will face the Houston Astros at 4:30 p.m. Sunday as AL playoff games continue at Petco Park.
Runs came at a premium in the decisive fifth game of the Division Series, as the Yankees offered up ace Gerrit Cole and the Rays countered with Tyler Glasnow, pitching on just two days rest.
The only scoring came on solo home runs, by Yankee Aaron Judge in the fourth, then Ray Austin Meadows in the fifth.
French poetry pic.twitter.com/8MxtGf1kMC
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 10, 2020
The 1-1 tie held until the key homer, in the bottom of the eighth.
Tampa Bay’s Mike Brosseau faced Aroldis Chapman, with whom he shared some unpleasant history. Ten pitches into the at-bat, with one out, Brosseau hit his first post-season home run, to the delight of the Rays’ bench.
“It felt good off the bat,” Brosseau said in a TBS post-game interview.
Reliever Diego Castillo struck out Yankees Giancarlo Stanton and Luke Voit to begin the ninth, and Gio Urshela hit a shot off the third-base line, but right into Joey Wendle’s glove to give the Rays the series win.
Former San Diego Padres Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfroe move on to the ALCS with the Rays. They will be the home team to start the ALCS.
For the first time since 2008, your Rays are heading to the ALCS! pic.twitter.com/qeCVR6Mkul
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 10, 2020
– Staff reports