Longoria Leads Rays to Wild Card Berth
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Rick Yeatts/Getty Images(ARLINGTON, Texas) — Evan Longoria hit a two-run home run and reached base four of his five plate appearances leading the Tampa Bay Rays to the playoffs as they beat the Texas Rangers, 5-2 Monday.
Price (10-8) threw a complete game, striking out four, as the Rays win the one-game play-in to earn the final wild-card spot in the American League.
Tampa started the scoring early when Delmon Young hit a sacrifice fly in the first inning driving in Wil Myers. Longoria put the Rays up for good in the third when he smashed a two-run homer off Martin Perez (10-6).
“I’m happy to be able to contribute today and be a part of this win,” Longoria told the MLB Network. “But hat off to David (Price), he did an awesome job.”
Tampa (92-71) stopped the red hot Rangers (91-72) — winners of their previous seven games — from making the playoffs for the first time since 2009.
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