The Tampa Bay Rays (98-60) shut out the Houston Astros (92-66) 7-0 on Wednesday night to set a new franchise record with 98 wins on the 2021 season. The win also ensures the Rays will finish the regular season with the best record in the American League, meaning they will have home field advantage for at least the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The Rays got started in the second inning - after Francisco Mejia drove in a run, Brandon Lowe hit a two-run homer to give the Rays a 3-0 lead. In the fifth Ji-Man Choi hit a three-run homer of his own to give the Rays a 6-0 lead. Brett Phillips added an RBI triple in the eighth, in which he was thrown out trying to stretch it into an inside the park home run, and the Rays picked up a 7-0 win.
Drew Rasmussen (4-1, 2.84) pitched five shutout innings to set the pace, before a bullpen combination of Luis Patino, Ryan Sherriff and Louis Head pitched the final four innings of shutout baseball.
The Rays now look to win the series against the Astros, and extend on their franchise record for wins, when the two teams wrap up the three game series on Thursday night. First pitch Thursday night is scheduled for 7:10 PM - pregame coverage begins with Jay Recher and the Inside Pitch at 6:00 PM on 95.3 WDAE & AM 620.
PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES