ARLINGTON, Texas - The visiting Tampa Bay Rays claimed the last berth in Major League Baseball's postseason by beating the Texas Rangers 5-2 in a wild-card tiebreaker on Monday.
Tampa Bay third baseman Evan Longoria went 3-for-4 with a single, a double and a two-run home run in the third inning to support reigning Cy Young winner David Price, who hurled a complete game seven-hitter for the win.
Victory in the tiebreaker, which was needed after the two teams finished the regular season with 91-71 records, gave the Rays the American League's second wild card berth.
They will face the Cleveland Indians in a one-off game on Wednesday, with the winner to play a best-of-5 Division Series against the Boston Red Sox.
There was a measure of revenge for the Rays, who were eliminated by Texas in the Division Series in their last two playoff appearances in 2010 and 2011.
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Tampa Bay Texas
ab r h bi ab r h bi
DJnngs cf 3 1 1 0 Kinsler 2b 4 0 2 1
Fuld cf-rf 1 1 1 0 Andrus ss 3 1 1 0
WMyrs rf 3 1 0 0 Rios rf 4 0 1 1
Kiermr cf 0 0 0 0 ABeltre 3b 4 0 1 0
Zobrist 2b 5 0 1 0 Przyns c 4 0 0 0
Longori 3b 4 2 3 2 N.Cruz dh 4 0 0 0
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DYong dh 3 0 0 1 Morlnd 1b 3 0 1 0
SRdrgz lf 2 0 0 0 Gentry lf 3 1 1 0
DeJess ph-lf 2 0 1 1 LMartn cf 3 0 0 0
Loney 1b 3 0 0 0
YEscor ss 2 0 0 0
JMolin c 4 0 0 0
Totals 32 5 7 4 Totals 32 2 7 2
Tampa Bay 102 001 001-- 5
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Texas 001 001 000-- 2
E--Scheppers (2). LOB--Tampa Bay 8, Texas 4. 2B--Longoria (39), DeJesus (10), Kinsler (31), Rios (33), A.Beltre (32). HR--Longoria (32). SB--Fuld (8), Andrus (42). CS--Kinsler (11). SF--D.Young.
IP H R ER BB SO
Tampa Bay
Price W,10-8 9 7 2 2 1 4
Texas
M.Perez L,10-6 5Zc 4 3 3 2 5
Ogando Xc 2 1 1 2 0
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Frasor Xc 0 0 0 2 0
Soria Zc 0 0 0 0 0
Cotts 1 0 0 0 1 1
Scheppers 1 1 1 0 0 2
T--3:08. A--42,796 (48,114).
