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The Rays just completed the GREATEST baseball comeback of All-Time!

JetsFanFromQueens

By JetsFanFromQueens
in Baseball

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JetsFanFromQueens

JetsFanFromQueens

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What happened with the Rays during the month of September, will go down in Baseball-History, as the greatest baseball comeback of all-time. It'll also go down as one of the biggest baseball collapses, if not the biggest choke-job the sports world has ever seen in regards to the Boston Red Sox of 2011.

The Rays came back from 9 games out during the month of September, going 17-10 overall, and also beat down the Boston Red Sox 6 games to 1 during the month of September, gaining a full 5 games against Boston ourselves.

Now, what happened last night was simply amazing. I understand the Yankees had nothing to play for, and were throwing out minor league pitchers, but that's still one of the greatest single-game comebacks I've ever seen.

Down 7-0 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning? I'll be the first to admit, I thought our season was over; especially with Boston leading the O's by the score of 3-2. Then, we've scored 3 runs there in the 8th inning, 7-3 Yankees, two outs, and Evan Longoria gives us HOPE with a 3 run bomb! What a turn of momentum.

And then, during the bottom of the 9th inning, down by 1 run... Joe Maddon calls for Dan Johnson to come off the bench, as a pinch hitter, for one reason, and one reason only; to hit a Solo Home Run. Keep in mind, Dan Johnson has only hit .119 on the year, and a player who only had 1 HR heading into that at bat. 53 career HR's. He was our only "power-threat" with two outs. With two outs, he's down in the count, two strikes against him... And it's GONNEEEE!!! Dan Johnson comes through during the CLUTCH! Tie game! Do you believe in miracles? This felt like destiny/fate at the time.

And then... Moments after we all seen Boston go down in flames against the O's... Evan Longoria must have smelt-blood... Longo went deep with a WALKOFF HOME RUN, which sent the Rays of 2011 to the PLAYOFFS on the final day of the regular season!!!

That triple play during game two of the Yankees series, was only the 3rd triple play the Rays have ever turned as a franchise. Everything about this Rays team, during the month of September, has been magical. What a magical summer of basebll for Tampa Bay!

Hopefully the Rays and Yankees meet during the ALCS; that'll become one hell of a series.

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CrazyCarl40

CrazyCarl40

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Really? On August 25th The Rays were 8.5 games out of the wildcard. The Cardinals were 10.5 games out. Hell, even on September 1st they both were 8.5 games out.

It's not the greatest comeback of all time and not even the greatest comeback of this season. You should be excited, but your posts are terribly hyperbolic.

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Matt39

Matt39

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Really? On August 25th The Rays were 8.5 games out of the wildcard. The Cardinals were 10.5 games out. Hell, even on September 1st they both were 8.5 games out.

It's not the greatest comeback of all time and not even the greatest comeback of this season. You should be excited, but your posts are terribly hyperbolic.

That really puts the 2004 ALCS into perspective then. Hell, the Yankees only lost 4 games in a row. Far from being the worst collapse ever then.

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Matt39

Matt39

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Even most Yankees fans will tell you that was the greatest collapse of all time. The Yankees had the Sox down to the final out.

And the Red Sox had the Baltimore Orioles down to their last out. The Baltimore Orioles were playing in a meaningless game. The Red Sox collapse lasted an entire month. The Yankees collapse lasted a week.

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CrazyCarl40

CrazyCarl40

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And the Red Sox had the Baltimore Orioles down to their last out. The Baltimore Orioles were playing in a meaningless game. The Red Sox collapse lasted an entire month. The Yankees collapse lasted a week.

ALCS vs. Regular season. ALCS after losing in 2003 in crushing fashion. Come on. Just admit it. Those games in '04 were so much more important than any other in Sox history to that point.

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Matt39

Matt39

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ALCS vs. Regular season. ALCS after losing in 2003 in crushing fashion. Come on. Just admit it. Those games in '04 were so much more important than any other in Sox history to that point.

Of course it was huge. That doesnt take away how crushing this was. Pretending like it was no big deal isnt going to fly. The Red Sox pulled off something that had about a .0000001% chance of actually happening going into September.

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JetsFanFromQueens

JetsFanFromQueens

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The Yankees may have blew a 3 game lead during the playoffs... But the Red Sox blew a 9 game lead during the month of September. The Red Sox also failed to win consecutive games for an entire month. The Red Sox just had the biggest melt-down in baseball history.

With all that said...

Managers of the Year: Joe Maddon, Rays.

"The Rays made Maddon's entire bullpen disappear, traded away Matt Garza and let Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena go get rich someplace else. Then they kicked off this season by starting 0-6 and 1-8, two canyons no team in history has climbed out of. Yet here they are, with their $41 million payroll, alive and breathing -- two months after trailing the Red Sox by 11½ games. Couldn't have done that without the most creative manager in baseball rewriting time-honored baseball truisms as regularly as he rewrites his lineup card."

AL Rookie of the Year: Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, Rays

He may look about 15 years old -- but not when he holds the baseball in his hands. In the first three starts Jeremy Hellickson made in the big leagues, he allowed three hits in every one of them. And we should have known right there this guy was about to do something special.

Those three starts came in 2010, but 2011 has been no different. Opposing hitters are hitting .210/.287/.373 against him. His 2.95 ERA would be the lowest by a rookie starter in the American League in more than two decades (since Kevin Appier, 1991). And in the history of the American League, only five rookie starters have finished a season with an opponent average and an ERA as low as Hellickson's. The most recent was Wally Bunker, whose rookie season (1964) was nearly 50 years ago.

I understand that, because of Hellickson's .222 average on balls in play, there are people trying to minimize his success as a product of luck and tremendous defensive support. But we're not here to look at spreadsheets and make judgments based on what the numbers say should have happened. We're here to make judgments based on what actually took place, in real life, in games that mattered to this guy and the team he works for. And what actually took place was a spectacular season that should turn Hellickson into the rookie of the year despite intense competition"

One hell of a season for Tampa Bay thus far.

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JetsFanFromQueens

JetsFanFromQueens

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I agree Maddon should be coach of the year. I'm not completely sold on Hellickson as ROY.

That said, the Red had a meltdown, for sure. But not the worst in baseball history.

As the article stated...

"In the history of the American League, only five rookie starters have finished a season with an opponent average and an ERA as low as Hellickson's. The most recent was Wally Bunker, whose rookie season (1964) was nearly 50 years ago."

This kid deserves this award. He's done something, that no other rookie pitcher has done in nearly 50 years. This kid is special, and deserves this rookie of the year award.

29 starts, 189 innings pitched, 13-10, 2.95 era, 117 K's/72 walks, 210 average against, WHIP of 1.15, 2 complete games/1 shut out.

For a rookie? Those numbers were lights out.

Keep in mind... During most of those 10 L's, he gave the Rays a chance to win plenty of those games. 4-2 loss, 2-0 loss, 2-0 loss, 3-0 loss, 4-2 loss etc, etc... He pitched his a$$ off.

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CrazyCarl40

CrazyCarl40

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Of course it was huge. That doesnt take away how crushing this was. Pretending like it was no big deal isnt going to fly. The Red Sox pulled off something that had about a .0000001% chance of actually happening going into September.

Of course this last month was crushing. I guess I'm just happy I have seen two world titles. If the Sox were still hearing 1918, this would have been worse.

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CrazyCarl40

CrazyCarl40

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Well, now Tito is saying the players didn't care as much, also blasting Becketts "conditioning"

I don't think that is true of all players. Pedroia, Papi and some others definitely cared. Some players did seem complacent. Not enough dirt dogs on this team I guess. They just expected to roll out of bed and get it done.

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PFSIKH

PFSIKH

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That really puts the 2004 ALCS into perspective then. Hell, the Yankees only lost 4 games in a row. Far from being the worst collapse ever then.

Really?

It was an epic failure, but it is no where near the Yanks collapse.

The Yanks collapse was in the playoffs. That far outweighs anything in the regular season.

3-0 in games. A lead in the 9th inning of the 4th game.

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JonEJet

JonEJet

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Really?

It was an epic failure, but it is no where near the Yanks collapse.

The Yanks collapse was in the playoffs. That far outweighs anything in the regular season.

3-0 in games. A lead in the 9th inning of the 4th game.

Keep hanging onto '04

I'll hang onto The New Curse of Carl Crawford

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