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Rays Finish Off White Sox

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 October 2008, 07:30 CDT

By Mike Dodd

CHICAGO -- The goggles were on, the champagne and beer were being sprayed in every direction of the visiting clubhouse. There wasn't a dry soul in the room.

They may be new to this, but the Tampa Bay Rays are quickly getting used to the time-honored baseball tradition.

"We're pretty good at celebrating," first baseman Carlos Pena said after getting doused by a teammate following the Rays' 6-2 victory vs. the Chicago White Sox on Monday to win the American League Division Series in four games.

Tampa Bay, the team with the worst record in baseball a year ago, recorded its 100th victory of the season and advanced to the AL Championship Series.

"Quite an achievement. From where we had come from over the last couple years to get to this point this soon, it's quite an achievement," manager Joe Maddon said.

The Rays popped the corks when they clinched a playoff berth, then again when they secured the AL East Division, and the third time was even sweeter Monday at U.S. Cellular Field. In their minds, there are two to go.

"We're not happy to be here. We want to win this thing," Maddon said.

The Rays, who already won a pressure series against the Red Sox in Boston in early September, demonstrated they are unnerved by hostile atmospheres in the playoffs, winning before more than 40,000 fans clad in black and waving white rally towels.

"Coming in here, the 'Blackout,' or so they called it, it's a tough place to play no matter how you cut it," said outfielder B.J. Upton, who hit two home runs Monday, including one in the first inning that quickly silenced the crowd. "We came in here and we did it."

Upton's home runs in his first two at-bats gave him three homers in four at-bats, following his shot late in Sunday's 5-3 loss. He started the series 0-for-8 but broke out from there, going 5-for-10 with three home runs the rest of the way. The former first-round draft choice has been playing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder that may require offseason surgery.

"B.J.'s been playing with that sore shoulder all year," said Pena, who drove in the Rays' final two runs to provide a cushion at the end of the game. "I have so much respect for him."

Upton hit only one home run in September, but the Rays had him back off batting practice to regain some strength. The move appears to have helped.

"The ball is starting to make that sound again" off his bat, Maddon said. "He's strong right now."

Upton's homers staked Tampa to a quick 2-0 lead and starter Andy Sonnanstine kept the White Sox lineup in check to record the win in the biggest victory in franchise history.

"Getting runs early is huge for the confidence," Sonnanstine said. "I'm going out there trying to beat them with my fastball and get ahead, and that makes solo home runs not hurt as much. It gives me more leeway."

The 25-year-old right-hander, 13-9 in the regular season, recorded his first victory since Aug.18 with 5â..." solid innings, giving up two runs on three hits -- two of them solo homers to Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye.

"To understand how difficult it is for a young pitcher to stand in front of a sold-out crowd with all those towels waving in the air and all that energy," said Pena, shaking his head, "and yet he looked like he was pitching in his backyard."

"We just attack hitters," Maddon said. "We are aggressive. ... I think the fact that our defense is so good encourages our pitchers to do that. ... Nothing fancy, just pretty basic." (c) Copyright 2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

Source: USA TODAY

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