BRAVES |
48-27 |
DEVIL RAYS |
43-32 |
ANGELS |
36-39 |
METS |
35-40 |
TWINS |
35-40 |
CARDINALS |
28-47 |
It was a much faster series then the Pennant (wrap-up here), but in the end the bigger surprise was perhaps how favoured the Atlanta Braves were when facing the Tampa Bay Devil Rays!!
Regular Season Record: (43-32)
Playoff Record: (8-5)
It almost was never meant to be...after requiring the full 7-game series to make it here, Pete's D'Rays then dropped the first two matches against Lew's Braves, before capturing their second World Series Championship.
Game 1 - Final Score 4-2 Braves: Well he cruised all year long, and Manager Lew knew that history was against those teams that crush the league on route to a World Series Bye. But after frustrating the D'Rays' hitters for most of the game, Game 1 went to the team that had been frustrating teams all year long. Braves lead series 1-0.
Game 2 - Final Score 3-2 Braves: The scores are starting to show their true tales here, as both teams struggle to get out of the gate in a rush, and with Lew's skills as a manager showing, puts all the right pieces in place to hold off the seemingly exhausted Tampa squad for the victory. Braves lead series 2-0.
Game 3 - Final Score 2-0 Devil Rays: His squad has lost 5 of their last 6 games, and in the playoffs that certainly almost always spells doom. Yet for Pete the Greek, it was only a challenge (not give in to the dough) and get his team off the mat. So with Bell the series mascot showing off his skills by ripping up Tadahito Iguchi's '07 card, the D'Ray bats awaken to find 2 runs hiding somewhere, and with one of the gutsiest performances to date, their pitchers shut down the Braves and get back into this series. Braves lead series 2-1.
Game 4 - Final Score 4-3 Devil Rays: As with most matchups this season, the more intriging byline was how did all the ex-Cardinals fair...since of course Gord's franchise is in decline, he decided the only way to play the year out was to trade most of his players away, then place bets with Vegas. While the majority of these players were only there to prolong the lives for some teams (ie., Wily Mo for the Angels, Chris Coste for the Mets, for example), the real story (not including Norton) was the matchup between Bobby Abreu for the Braves and Jim Edmonds for the Devil Rays. At some point this series the news was that Edmonds had hit a homerun, a big one. Hell, it could've even been this game, and with the score the highest its been thus far, we'll just go right on and say that it WAS this game. Game 4 one of the most important to win, with pitching reset after Game 5, managers like to know where they stand, and for Pete, his D'Rays are beginning to catch their second win(d). Series Tied 2-2.
Game 5 - Final Score 3-2 Devil Rays: If Round 1 went to Edmonds, then this was becoming a pretty quick, and short, battle. Before gametime Bobby Abreu gets a phone call from Alison Pujols wishing him well. Attendants were able to replace the shattered payphone by the 4th inning. Things got worse from there, as the "curse of the 2-column" otherwise known as the "curse of the Cardinal" begins to rear its fat head. With inept hitting and a season long lack of any pure power, the Braves pitchers do mightily to save their teams' hopes of a Worst-to-First season. Alas they can only hold these bats for so long and in the end the 'Greek Council' prevails. Devil Rays lead series 3-2.
Game 6 - Final Score 8-2 Devil Rays: In almost likewise fashion, the Devil Rays who needed (and got) a convincing Game 7 in the Pennant for the chance to meet the Braves, do the same here in Game 6 to defeat them. Both series clinching victories were far less climactic which Manager Pete spoke after the game muttered incoherently about how "it was about time". The second season in a row the Devil Rays found themselves in the World Series. And this year, the result is far more satisfying. Devil Rays WIN series 4-2.
For Lew this was his sixth trip to the World Series (and his third loss), following his record setting 5-year run between 1997-2001. For Pete, his second championship came in his third attempt at the show (his second straight). Congrats everyone! Let's freakin' DRAFT!!
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