Surprise Rays top Sox for World Series berth

Tampa Bay wins Game 7 after giving up a 3-1 series advantage

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. -- Worst to first -- and now the World Series.

Take that, nonbelievers. These Tampa Bay Rays have arrived.

They proved it Sunday night, dethroning the defending champion Boston Red Sox with a 3-1 win in Game 7 of the AL championship series. Down to their last chance after nearly letting it all slip away, the Rays completed a stunning run to their first pennant.

"I used to tell people I played for the Devil Rays, and they'd ask, 'Who are the Devil Rays?' " said center fielder B.J. Upton, who had four homers and 11 RBIs in the ALCS. "Now, I think they know who we are."

A 200-1 shot to win the title before the season, the Rays will host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 on Wednesday night. Manager Joe Maddon's bunch is trying to become the first team to go from worst in the majors to World Series champion in just one season.

"I hope everyone doubts us again," reliever J.P. Howell said. "Philly's a better team than us. That's all I've got to say."

Right-hander Matt Garza beat Boston lefty Jon Lester for the second time in a week to earn MVP honors.

Meanwhile, rookie David Price put an exclamation point on why Tampa Bay's future looks so bright by getting the final four outs to begin the celebration.

"There's nothing else to say other than I would've never thought this in a million years," said designated hitter Cliff Floyd, one of the veterans brought in last winter to provide leadership and stability.

"It's amazing what can happen when you put a lot of athletes on the field and start to believe during the course of the season. It was only a matter of time before it became this."

To finish the task, the Rays even showed a bit of Boston-like resolve.

After Tampa Bay squandered a seven-run lead late in Game 5 and lost meekly Saturday, few gave the Rays a chance in Game 7 against Lester and an experienced Red Sox team seeking its third berth in the World Series in five years.

But when Price struck out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning, the Rays were on their way.

Price, who didn't make his major league debut until late September, also worked the ninth, walking Jason Bay and striking out Mark Kotsay and Jason Varitek before getting pinch hitter Jed Lowrie to ground into a game-ending force play.

"He was the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake," Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said.

When it was over, players and coaches streamed from the dugout and mobbed Price, eventually falling to the ground in a cluster that continued to grow when others began leaping on the pile.

Music blared, and the crowd of 40,473 stood and cheered.

The party moved inside briefly before players returned to race up and down the right-field stands, spraying fans with champagne before settling down for the presentation of the championship trophy.

"It's not what we expected to happen," Boston's David Ortiz said. "You have to give them credit. They pitched well. They've got good hitters."