ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) The playoffs beckoned, and just as they've handled other challenges this season, the Tampa Bay Rays took a leap forward.
The AL East leaders clinched the first postseason berth in franchise history Saturday, beating the Minnesota Twins 7-2 and making Scott Kazmir look like a genius for boldly proclaiming during spring training that the perennial last-place team was good enough to play in October.
"I knew we had something here. I knew we had the depth. I knew we had the pitching," Kazmir, drenched in champagne and beer, said. "I knew we had everything. We just had to put it together, and we did."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.