The AL Wild Card race has come down to the 2011 MLB season's final day, and the red-hot Tampa Bay Rays control their own fate. With a win against the AL East champion New York Yankees on Wednesday, the Rays are guaranteed no worse than a one-game playoff against the Boston Red Sox.
Tampa Bay is 16-8 in its last 24 games and will run out its young ace, David Price, against a Yankees lineup that could be missing some of the Bronx Bombers' biggest stars. The Yankees, who have sent Hector Noesi and Bartolo Colon to the mound in this relatively unimportant series, rested Derek Jeter on Tuesday.
And, remember: Jeter collected his 3,000th hit with a homer off Price in July.
Game date, time: 7:10 p.m. ET, Wednesday, September 29, 2011
Location: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
TV channel: YES Network, Sun Sports
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Rays blog D Rays Bay and Yankees blog Pinstripe Alley. Check out Baseball Nation's AL Wild Card race and NL Wild Card race StoryStreams from Tuesday for more.