On 18th anniversary of their first pennant, Rays clinch third World Series berth as AL’s best team

Tampa Bay’s trip back to the World Series is tied to a date that has long defined franchise history. On October 19, 2008, the Rays won Game 7 of the American League Championship Series against the Red Sox, their first AL pennant. The team marked that 18th anniversary while clinching a third World Series berth on October 19, 2026.

In the 2008 ALCS clincher, David Price started and issued a leadoff walk before Jed Lowrie’s go-ahead moment set up Akinori Iwamura’s catch to seal the final out. The Rays’ celebration Monday night incorporated those same franchise symbols, including references to bronze outside the building and a statue honoring Iwamura.

The clinching win in 2026 came in Game 6 of the ALCS against the Guardians. Tampa Bay won 7-3 in front of 40,230, sending the Rays to the World Series for the third time in franchise history.

The Rays built separation with key run production early and midgame. Liam Hicks caught a foul pop after closer Bryan Baker navigated the ninth, and Tampa Bay’s offense put pressure on the Guardians again in the second inning through Richie Palacios’s two-out, two-run double.

Tampa Bay’s margin widened with two-run homers by Junior Caminero and Yandy Díaz. The game then ended with Baker retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth to complete the clincher.

The Rays will face the Brewers in the Fall Classic. Before the World Series draw, Tampa Bay was described in the coverage as the American League champion and the AL East champion, reaching 97 wins and earning a division title described as a 98-win season mark.

Former and current Rays figures were woven into the night’s narrative. Kevin Cash, present for all three of Tampa Bay’s pennant-clinching victories, was noted alongside franchise pillars from earlier postseason teams, and David Wills and Andy Freed were credited with recalling the franchise’s long path from years of losing to October success.