Bring on the Padres!
We knew we were getting on a plane after this game to head to the west coast, but that flight is now bound for KSAN instead of LAX after the Rays took the ALCS with a 10-2 rout of the Angels which in many ways was a carbon copy of their Game 4 win. Just like yesterday they broke it open with a 6-run 6th after having a modest lead after scoring 4 runs. Tyler Glasnow was excellent once again and unusually efficient; had the lead not been so big he would have pitched into the 8th. Nick Sandlin got to be at the bottom of the dogpile by pitching the final two innings. Austin Meadows had two doubles and was unsurprisingly named series MVP, and Jarren Duran, who had struggled in September and was fairly nondescript in the playoffs, had the big hit of the night, a 2-run triple which broke a 1-1 tie in the 4th. Tarik Skubal is the likely Game 1 pitcher in a few days.
Side note: In my
longer-running Rays save the first time they made the World Series was 2023 as well, and the opponent? None other than the Padres. And who did they beat in the ALCS to get there? The Angels, of course. Those Rays went on to sweep San Diego and we can only hope history continues to repeat.