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The Honolulu Advertiser
Updated at 6:04 p.m., Sunday, October 19, 2008

Rays beat Red Sox in Game 7, advance to World Series

By FRED GOODALL
AP Sports Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Tampa Bay Rays celebrate after defeating the Boston Red Sox 3-1 to win the American League baseball championship series in Game 7 in St. Petersburg, Fla.

MARK HUMPHREY | Associated Press

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LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

(Best-of-7)

American League

Friday, Oct. 10

Boston 2, Tampa Bay 0

Saturday, Oct. 11

Tampa Bay 9, Boston 8, 11 innings

Monday, Oct. 13

Tampa Bay 9, Boston 1

Tuesday, Oct. 14

Tampa Bay 13, Boston 4

Thursday, Oct. 16

Boston 8, Tampa Bay 7

Saturday, Oct. 18

Boston 4, Tampa Bay 2

Sunday, Oct. 19

Tampa Bay 3, Boston 1, Tampa Bay wins series 4-3

National League

Thursday, Oct. 9

Philadelphia 3, Los Angeles 2

Friday, Oct. 10

Philadelphia 8, Los Angeles 5

Sunday, Oct. 12

Los Angeles 7, Philadelphia 2

Monday, Oct. 13

Philadelphia 7, Los Angeles 5

Wednesday, Oct. 15

Philadelphia 5, Los Angeles 1, Philadelphia wins series 4-1

WORLD SERIES

Wednesday, Oct. 22

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, (n)

Thursday, Oct. 23

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, (n)

Saturday, Oct. 25

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, (n)

Sunday, Oct. 26

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, (n)

Monday, Oct. 27

Tampa Bay at Philadelphia, if necessary, (n)

Wednesday, Oct. 29

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, if necessary, (n)

Thursday, Oct. 30

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay, if necessary, (n)

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Matt Garza throws to the Boston Red Sox during the first inning of Game 7.

DOUG BENC, POOL | Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price pitches to Boston Red Sox's J.D. Drew with bases loaded in the eighth inning of Game 7.

CHRIS O'MEARA | Associated Press

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Tampa Bay Rays' Willy Aybar, right, is congratulated by his teammates after hitting a solo home run against Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Jon Lester in the seventh inning of Game 7.

STEVE NESIUS | Associated Press

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Down to their last chance, the Tampa Bay Rays left no doubt they were World Series-worthy, after all.

The young Rays completed a stunning run to their first pennant, holding off the defending champion Boston Red Sox 3-1 tonight behind Matt Garza's masterful pitching in Game 7 of the AL championship series.

The Rays nearly let it slip away when they blew a seven-run lead late in Game 5 and lost meekly Saturday night. But when rookie David Price struck out J.D. Drew with the bases loaded to end the eighth inning, Tampa Bay showed it had plenty of resolve, too.

Baseball's doormat since starting play in 1998, the Rays were a 200-1 shot to win the World Series before the season started. Now, they'll host the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 1 Wednesday night.

Willy Aybar homered and Evan Longoria and Rocco Baldelli also drove in runs to support Garza, who limited the defending champions to Dustin Pedroia's first-inning homer and Jason Bay's one-out single in the seventh to end Boston's bid for a third pennant in five years.

Now they open their first Fall Classic at home on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Phillies as the first team since the 1991 Atlanta Braves to go to the Series a year after finishing with the majors' poorest record.

Four more wins and they'll become the first team to go from worst in the majors to World Series champion in just one season.

Longoria's fourth-inning double off Jon Lester erased a 1-0 lead the Red Sox took on Dustin Pedroia first-inning homer. Baldelli's single on an 0-2 pitch put the Rays ahead in the fifth after Aybar doubled and Dioner Navarro reached on an infield single.

Garza took the mound for the biggest game of his life with something, perhaps cotton balls, stuffed in his ears to help drown out the noise at sold-out Tropicana Field. He walked David Ortiz after giving up the homer, then quickly settled into a groove.

The 24-year-old right-hander struck out nine before shortstop Jason Bartlett booted Alex Cora's ground ball for an error, leading off a tense eighth.

Boston went on to load the bases when Kevin Youkilis drew a two-out walk. Price, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, became the fifth Tampa Bay pitcher of the inning — quite a spot for someone who started the year in Class A.

Drew, who capped the Game 5 rally with a ninth-inning single, struck out with a check-swing on a 97 mph fastball to end the threat. Price worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth and when pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie grounded out, the celebration began.