What Went Wrong: Rays Dethroned as American League Champions

The popular social media meme as of late has been "How it started/how it's going." The meme usually describes occurrences that start out very well, but as things progresses, they deteriorate...badly. The Tampa Bay Rays definitely qualify for that meme, as they ended up as the first casualty of this year's Division Series--eliminated in four games by the Boston Red Sox.

So what went wrong? Well, it started off well--Game One was very dominant from the Rays: a 5-0 shutout victory. They took a 5-2 lead in the first inning of Game Two after a grand slam from Jordan Luplow, but after that, the floodgates opened. Boston bombarded the Rays with countless runs after that. Well, not exactly countless; there were 12 of them after their 5-2 deficit. After that, the Rays just could not get things going, and their trip to Boston saw both games end in walkoff fashion for the Red Sox. Tampa Bay's pitching dominated in Game One, but after that, it simply disappeared. The Rays gave up nine home runs in the series--five of them in Game Two alone.

So the Rays are now dethroned as champions of the American League; a disappointing end for this team. This was their third straight postseason appearance, which is a first for the Rays; as they had never had three straight postseason appearances in their franchise history. 2019 saw them make is as a Wild Card, only to be ousted in the Division Series by the Astros, but 2020 was a dream season for the Rays. A division title in the 60-game season, and the best record in the American League, which was followed by going through three full rounds to win their second pennant in franchise history. Of course, we all know how that ended; Kevin Cash's very peculiar decision to pull Blake Snell in Game Six after only giving up two hits led to the Dodgers bouncing back and winning that game and the World Series as a whole.

2021 was the Rays' best season ever, as they set a franchise record in wins by reaching the century mark (100 even) for the first time. However, this result is a disappointing one, especially since they were also coming off a World Series appearance. It's no doubt that the Rays will continue to be a force in the American League, but they do have issues to fix. The bullpen, for one; Tampa Bay's relief pitchers were decimated in the series. And now with this, followed by the World Series blunder, one has to believe that Kevin Cash's seat will start to get just a bit warmer. I'm not saying that he should be fired if 2022 doesn't see any improvement. I will say this: if 2022 doesn't see improvement, then 2023 will be Cash's "win or else" season, as the proverbial leash will get tighter.

So the first slot in MLB's Final Four, also known as the League Championship Series, is filled. The Red Sox's advancement to the ALCS means that whoever wins the series between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros will have home field in that best-of-seven series. Game One of the American League Championship Series will take place in either Chicago or Houston on Friday. As for Tampa Bay, the Rays' ousting also ends a streak of championship appearances by Florida's franchises. The streak started with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final, and continued with the Miami Heat reaching that year's NBA Finals, the Rays reaching that year's World Series, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reaching Super Bowl LV, and the Lightning returning to the Cup Final in 2021.

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