The Tampa Bay Rays were eliminated after a 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
The Story
The Tampa Bay Rays’ World Series run ended Wednesday night with a 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5.
Drew Rasmussen addressed reporters in the aftermath, saying, “Failure sucks. And to be this close, it's really, really hard,” adding, “That's the best team I've played at the major league level.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash said his players were “banged up and hurting right now” as Tampa Bay concluded its season without a championship, despite reaching the World Series for the third time.
The Rays lost to Philadelphia in 2008 and to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 before this most recent appearance.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Tampa Bay is only the third franchise to lose its first three World Series appearances, joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, who went 0-7, and the Detroit Tigers, who went 0-4.
In Game 5, the Rays used Rasmussen on short rest. The 31-year-old right-hander, who has had three major elbow operations, allowed one run and two hits over four innings, leaving with Tampa Bay trailing 1-0.
Closer Bryan Baker said, “It hurts knowing that you got this close, you got this far,” and after the final out, Rays players stayed in their dugout to watch Milwaukee celebrate. “It should be motivating, right?” he added. “You got to use this motivation to keep working.”
Tampa Bay led the AL East from mid-May and topped the American League with 98 wins. Yandy Díaz, who has been with the Rays since 2019, said through a translator, “We didn't end at the bottom of the division,” adding, “Those papers at the beginning of the year, those projections at the beginning of a year, we had the chance to rip them and we did.”
The Rays’ roster outlook includes a $20 million option on Rasmussen, while right-handers Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez are eligible to become free agents.
Baker described the team’s season as resilient, saying, “We’re scrappy. We fought hard all year,” and “We’ve picked ourselves up off the canvas and fought tooth and nail to be here.”
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