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Worst To First: Rays Clinch AL East Title

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By MARC LANCASTER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 27, 2008

Updated: 09/27/2008 01:22 am

DETROIT As the clock crawled ahead, Friday night having passed into Saturday morning, they began to trickle back to the clubhouse at Comerica Park.

There were Jonny Gomes and Evan Longoria, followed a few minutes later by a group of about five led by Cliff Floyd and Dioner Navarro, and finally by another five including Rocco Baldelli who had taken the preemptive measure of removing their shirts – and in one player's case, his pants – to save them from the dousing that was to come.

They gathered in the clubhouse and waited, shouting at the televisions beaming the action from Fenway Park and the twice-rain-delayed Yankees-Red Sox marathon that had prompted many of the players to disperse for a couple of hours after the Rays' 6-4 loss to the Tigers.

Finally, at 12:52 a.m., a Sean Casey pop fly came down through the mist to nestle in the glove of Yankees center fielder Brett Gardner to set off the Rays' second wild celebration in a week. This time, the officially licensed shirts and hats that were quickly marinated in alcohol proclaimed them champions of the American League East.

The first playoff game in Rays history will be played Thursday at Tropicana Field against either the Twins or the White Sox, and yes, it's still sinking in even for those directly involved.

"It's fantastic, it's wonderful, it's all the superlatives you can gather," said Manager Joe Maddon. "I really feel good for everybody, that's what it comes down to. You look at everybody and enjoy everybody's face; to me, that's the most gratifying part of this entire moment."

Those faces beamed unrestrained joy from behind swim goggles and scuba masks as the party really got rolling. A couple of minutes in, the first chant erupted. Bouncing in the center of the room, the players screamed the team's slogan over and over again.

"Nine equals eight! Nine equals eight!"

Moments later, two Matts who have played very different roles – Silverman and Garza – met in the center of the room. With great ceremony, the team president and tonight's starting pitcher emptied a bottle over one another's head.

Even in the most unscripted of moments, it was all for one, one for all – right down to a very brief few steps of merengue dancing between Carlos Pena and Longoria. They eventually added a new wrinkle to the festivities, breaking out a supply of victory cigars, but the hugs never stopped.

"We wanted to be together for this," Pena said in explaining why so many returned to the ballpark. "It was kind of a weird situation because of the rain [in Boston] and all that, but this is what a family's all about. If we had to travel cross-country, we would be here together. It's unbelievable, man. That goes to show you how close this team is."

By that point, their loss Friday night was a distant memory. The five runs Andy Sonnanstine allowed in the first two innings that amounted to an insurmountable deficit were hardly enough to keep him from whooping it up. The same went for Pena, who accounted for three of the 14 men the Rays left on base when he lined hard to center with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning.

With 96 wins already in the books and two regular-season games to go – both now qualifying as mere tune-ups with much more at stake beginning next week – the Rays didn't give a second thought to the way it came down on the final day. Their work over a grueling six-month season spoke for itself.

"I don't know if people understand how big this is," said Carl Crawford, "but winning the AL East is a huge accomplishment and we should have a good time and enjoy it."

There was no denying the gravity of what they had done. The Red Sox and Yankees had captured the crown every year since the Orioles won it in 1997, and no one had any reason to believe that run would come to an end this season.

Obviously the Rays would have been thrilled to be in the playoffs no matter how they got there, but going in as the champion of what is generally acknowledged as the toughest division in baseball made it that much more gratifying.

"Everybody in baseball knows what this division's all about," said Maddon. "To win this division is very significant. I'd like to believe it's the beginning of many great years to come. It's just not about today; it's about building for the future."

And even in the midst of the alcohol-fueled madness that prevailed, that concept was clear to everyone involved.

"We're here to stay," declared James Shields. "We're here to stay for a long time. This is what we want to do every year."

Reporter Marc Lancaster can be reached at (813) 259-7227 or mlancaster@tampatrib.com.

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