How World Series-bound Rays discovered ‘a supply of inspiration’ in 2025 Blue Jays

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Junior Caminero grabbed a pole adorned with a light-weight blue 2026 American League Champions flag, ran to the stands waving it earlier than an ecstatic crowd of 40,230 and planted it into the turf, a conqueror staking declare to his territory. 

A 12 months in the past, such a celebratory second, on the finish of a six-game victory within the ALCS over the ever-tenacious Cleveland Guardians, appeared so distant for the Tampa Bay Rays. Hurricane Milton had torn the roof from their Tropicana Field house in October 2024 and compelled them to grind via a depressing 77-85 season at close by George M. Steinbrenner Field as their long-term future within the space fell again into doubt. 

But because the low season hit, relatively than seeing a attempting street forward, Erik Neander, the Rays’ president of baseball operations, noticed alternative. In the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays, “there was some inspiration,” he stated, beer in hand as audio system blared contained in the Rays clubhouse after a 7-3 victory Monday clinched the franchise’s third journey to the World Series.

“They had 74 wins (in 2024), returned a lot of similar personnel, kind of leaned into the culture, leaned into connection, got that snowball building and they rode it to the World Series,” Neander continued. “We’ve used that quite a bit with our guys, ‘Hey, I do know we received 77 final 12 months however we did not do this in our house park, we’re getting house, we’re getting regular.’ We’ve received guys that may put a ball in play. We’ve received energy on the high of the lineup. We’ve received stress operating all through. There is a staff in our division that confirmed what is feasible. 

“I don’t want to say we copied the blueprint,” he added, “but it was a source of inspiration to see a team be able to do that.”

Using a method of play in some ways paying homage to the 2025 Blue Jays, the Rays uncovered the disparity in depth between them and the Guardians the longer the ALCS went to safe a date towards the Milwaukee Brewers.

Tampa Bay’s rotation featured 4 playoff-calibre starters in ace Drew Rasmussen, Freddy Peralta, the ALCS MVP after starring in Games 2 and 6 with a well timed reduction outing in Game 4, Nick Martinez and Griffin Jax, whereas Cleveland labored round 2½ starters they couldn’t optimize due to their use throughout the five-game division sequence versus Chicago.

The Rays’ lineup was longer, with common contributions from Chandler Simpson and Canadian Liam Hicks within the center, Richie Palacios, whose two-run double within the second opened the scoring Monday, and Jonny DeLuca on the backside, complementing the Big Three of Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero. The Guardians couldn’t maintain almost the identical 1-through-9 stress. 

Tampa Bay’s defence, led by the impeccable Taylor Walls at shortstop, performed tighter, and their bullpen, the one space during which Cleveland held a definite edge, may very well be matched up successfully as a result of Rays starters have coated 63 per cent of the staff’s post-season innings, in comparison with 37 per cent for the Guardians.

All of it mirrored the relentless membership with a number of paths to victory that was extremely troublesome to beat and received the AL East at 98-64 earlier than sweeping the New York Yankees within the division sequence. Up subsequent is their first Fall Classic for the reason that bizarro season of 2020, once they misplaced to the Los Angeles Dodgers in six video games in a sequence performed on the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field because of pandemic restrictions.

“That was as special as any season I’ve been a part of, but saying that, we didn’t have 40,000 people behind us,” stated Rays supervisor Kevin Cash. “Excited to see what those 40,000 people can bring on Games 3, 4 and 5, for sure.”

Game 1 of the World Series is Friday at American Family Field, a conflict of analytically pushed, financially restrained, small-market franchises that play full baseball and persistently construct contenders regardless of their limitations. 

One of them will change into a first-time champion, and Neander’s description of dealing with the Guardians within the ALCS, “it feels like you’re competing in a mirror,” actually applies to the Brewers, as properly.

All three groups regularly level to their tradition and that was a driver for the Blue Jays a 12 months in the past, as properly, which is why throughout spring coaching, when he was requested why he believed the Rays might win this season, Neander would level to them and say, “We just saw a team make a similar jump with similar personnel here in this division.”

That mattered as a result of “the AL East is a behemoth, you don’t win it by accident.” Along with the New York Yankees in 2024, the final three American League champions have emerged from the East and “that speaks to if you can win this thing, you can go on a run.”

Pivotal, Neander believes, was that final winter, they “were very intentional” in in search of exterior provides that “could elevate this group.” Martinez, Steven Matz, Cedric Mullins and Jake Fraley, who struggled via accidents earlier than being launched in September, every “helped these guys just know how to be a professional, how to grow, how to adjust.”

Peralta, Hicks and Tyler Wells have been added on the deadline and helped push the group ahead, with the Rays once more drawing one of the best from them as soon as they arrived.

With the Mets, Peralta had a 4.99 ERA in 22 begins, however improved to three.25 in 10 begins with the Rays earlier than dominating within the post-season.

The distinction, he stated, “is crazy, like, how not only life can surprise you, but this game.”

Hicks had been catching a pair instances per week with the Miami Marlins, who referred to as pitches from the dugout and for the reason that deal has been the first backstop, calling his personal video games whereas bettering his caught-stealing proportion from 16 to twenty-eight per cent.

“They make it super easy to just come in and they treated me like family, treat me like I’ve been here all year,” stated Hicks, who drove in 4 runs throughout the ALCS and had a single and stroll forward of Caminero’s back-breaking two-run blast off Cade Smith within the seventh inning. “It’s been awesome. You want to be able to contribute right away and going to the World Series is huge, it’s an unbelievable first year.”

The Guardians had a last-gasp, two-run outburst within the eighth earlier than Diaz, who had promised that sequence would finish Monday, delivered a two-run shot off Hunter Gaddis within the backside half that sealed the win.  

Cleveland was out of gasoline at that time, utilizing eight pitchers, together with each opener Shawn Armstrong and lefty Tim Herrin for a 3rd straight day, to get via Game 6 after a deliberate bullpen day in Game 4 and a de facto one in Game 5 when Parker Messick wanted 57 pitches to get via two innings. Barring a conventional begin for Joey Cantillo or turning to Tanner Bibee, who had solely thrown 15 pitches in a single Oct. 8 outing all playoffs, supervisor Stephen Vogt didn’t have many choices. And whereas Gavin Williams would have been lined up for a Game 7, they might have had little greater than dudes on fumes behind him had they compelled one.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our group,” stated Vogt. “It just hurts. It stings. Really felt like we had a team to go and just weren’t able to get there.”

In distinction, Peralta, at 12, and Rasmussen, at 13, coated 47 per cent of the Rays’ ALCS innings by themselves, a giant cause why their spectacular season continues. But so too is their offence, and their defence, and their bullpen and their tradition, a fickle assemble that may be troublesome to construct and fleeting to take care of.

“This is a business, right, and we all acknowledge that, but we’ve got a lot of people, staff, players, they don’t do it for the love of the business, they do it for the love the game,” stated Neander. “We’re just always pointed the right way. Cashy, (pitching coach) Kyle Snyder, (hitting coach) Chad Mottola, we’ve been together a long time. We’ve enjoyed continuity without complacency. We got people that love it, that love this organization and believe we can win a championship here. And those that have been committed to that and loyal to that, we’ve tried to keep that together. We’ve tried to challenge ourselves. We’ve just tried to continue to grow. And no matter where this year ends up, there’s still a lot we can learn and do better next year. And we’re going to apply that.”

First, although, there’s the Brewers within the World Series and attempting to go one step additional than the Blue Jays throughout the run during which the Rays discovered some inspiration.