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 2004-Present
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| 2004 |
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The young Devil Rays opened their seventh season with a victory against the Yankees in Tokyo. They were 10-28 in May when they started a run in which they won 30 of 40 games, including a team-record 12 games in a row. The Rays beat the Tigers on the final day of the season to finish with a team-record 70 victories. They finished in fourth place in the AL East, the first time they have not finished fifth. Outfielder Carl Crawford, 23, really blossomed and was the Rays' All-Star, playing in the game in his hometown of Houston. Crawford won the American League stolen base title for the second year in a row, with a team-record 59. He also hit .294 with 11 homers and 55 RBIs.
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| 2005 |
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The Devil Rays compiled a 28-61 first-half record in 2005, which included just eight wins on the road. But they overcame a lot of problems - many of which were injury related - to grow into a different team in the second half and finished over .500 after the All-Star break. Scott Kazmir came into his own as a pitcher; Carl Crawford continued to ripen as one of the game's best all-around young talents; Jonny Gomes, given the chance to play, proved he belonged in the Major Leagues; and Jorge Cantu emerged as an offensive force, leading the team in home runs and RBIs. Lou Piniella finished his tenure as manager of the team and at the end of the season, a group led by Stuart Sternberg, took over ownership of the franchise.
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| 2006 |
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Injuries haunted the Rays from the beginning of the 2006 season when right-hander Shinji Mori suffered a torn labrum in Spring Training and Rocco Baldelli missed most of the first half with a left hamstring injury. Carl Crawford and Scott Kazmir each made strides toward becoming superstars, while the addition of Ty Wigginton instantly become one of the franchise's best-ever acquisitions.
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| 2007 |
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Among the many highlights of the 2007 season was the starting pitching tandem of James Shields and Scott Kazmir. Shields finished with 12 wins and became the third pitcher in team history to reach 200 innings in a season with 215. Meanwhile, Kazmir struggled with his control early in the season, but came on strong in the second half to lead the team in wins in addition to also surpassing the 200-inning plateau. Offensively, the Rays got their usual solid effort from resident super star Carl Crawford, who hit a career high .315 while disrupting opposing staffs to no end with his speed. Unexpected was the contribution of non-roster invitee Carlos Pena, who won the starting first base job and proceeded to hit more home runs than any player in team history.
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| 2008 |
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The Rays literally went from last to first in the toughest division in baseball -- the American League East -- and took out the White Sox and Red Sox in the playoffs to reach the World Series.
The Rays' starting pitching served as the team's foundation with all five starters -- Scott Kazmir, James Shields, Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson and Andy Sonnanstine -- winning at least 11 games. Meanwhile, a much-improved bullpen finished off what the starters began by showing an ability to prevent opposing teams from scoring late and reversing the nice work done in the early innings. Troy Percival anchored the bullpen for much of the season before the veteran went down with injuries. The emergence of J.P. Howell and Grant Balfour helped define why the 'pen improved by such a large margin to become one of the team's strengths in 2008.
Offensively, no one player, other than Dioner Navarro, had his career-best year. But the team enjoyed timely hitting galore while producing one come-from-behind win after the next. American League Rookie of the Year Evan Longoria gave the team a big offensive boost at third base, but the heroics were shared for the most part. The Rays came from behind 45 times to win games in 2008. Joe Maddon was named AL Manager of the Year for guiding the club to 97 wins and the Series, where the Rays lost to the Phils in five games.
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