There's no quit in these Rays - and no doubt who's the champ

By Joe Henderson

jhenderson@tampatrib.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The successful end to the quest had actually come 62 minutes before. Thanks to developments 1,244 miles away at Fenway Park, the Rays already were champions of the American League East by the time Rafael Soriano got set to close their 96th win of the season.

At that point, it didn't matter what they did in the regular-season finale against Kansas City. Technically, perhaps, that was true.

If you think that way, though, then you don't know this team. Manager Joe Maddon said as much after they scored twice in the ninth inning to tie it, then once more in the 12th to beat the Royals 3-2.

Did one more victory on the field really make a difference?

You betcha.

"Just to validate the whole thing, to get one more win than the other team," was how Maddon put it a little while later in the clubhouse.

And he added the exclamation point.

"No doubt," he said.

The Rays became champions when the New York Yankees lost Sunday at Boston to finish with 95 wins. The Rays had the same number at that point but held the tiebreaker even if they lost to the Royals. This was about something more, though.

So, for the second time in three seasons, the Rays have more wins than either New York or Boston. There was no need for a tiebreaker in 2008, and there is no need for one now.

There is no asterisk.

There is no doubt.

The usual champagne shower was going on inside the clubhouse, complete with flying corks, hugs and all the other rituals that make up a championship celebration. It was actually somewhat subdued by Rays standards, which maybe says a lot about their expectations and self-image.

"All of our focus has shifted to winning 11 more games," executive vice president Andrew Friedman said, a task that begins Wednesday when the Division Series opens at Tropicana Field against Texas.

It's time to stop asking how they've gotten this far with a lineup that can go into prolonged hibernations at the plate. Most of the other teams competing in this postseason have bigger names and more impressive bubblegum cards, but the Ray Way - as they like to call it - is to make something truly larger than the individual parts.

"It's family here," first baseman Carlos Pe?a said. "We bring so much more than just a bat or a glove here."

Pe?a has had a tough season, but his two-run double in the ninth off Royals closer Joakim Soria tied the game. Afterward, Pe?a was reminded that even when the Rays were losing 100 games a season, he openly predicted a championship team was being built.

"We had the worst record in the major leagues but I kept saying there was something special here," he said. "Now I know I wasn't crazy."

The baseball world knows that, too. The Rays have as many playoff appearances in the past three years as their well-financed rivals from New York and Boston. They have more division championships in that period than the other two teams combined.

"Winning this division in any year is incredibly difficult," Friedman said, and this season was surely that. Carl Crawford was the Rays' only .300 hitter.

The Rays had six players - all of whom played Sunday - batting under .200.

Seven players who have been regular starters hit .241 or below.

In this game, they entered the ninth with only two singles and were on the verge of being shut out for the fourth time in less than a week. This was after they had lost the first two games of the four-game series while the division title hung in the balance.

"We lose the first two; we could just pack it in and take the wild card and go from there," said third baseman Evan Longoria, who is expected to return to the lineup Wednesday after being sidelined with a strained quad muscle in his left leg.

"But they did a tremendous job fighting back. Today, jeez, it's 2-nothin' and the Yankees have already lost and we're going to win the division, but they fought back. It's huge. That was a pretty bright example of what this team is about today. We found a way to get the big hit. It's been like that all year."

Now it continues.

Eleven more wins; that's what Friedman said they're looking for. That's a lot to ask of any team. No matter what happens from here on out, though, one thing must be noted. They'll have to make room in the rafters for a banner to celebrate the American League East championship team of 2010.

The Tampa Bay Rays.

No doubt.