162 games was simply not enough to complete the postseason field for the 2013 MLB season. Thanks to an ultra-competitive regular season, the American League finds itself in need of a play-in game between two of the most successful teams in recent years. Thanks to victories on the final day of their respective campaigns, the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays will meet for the right to play the Cleveland Indians in the American League Wild Card game. Due to the fact that Texas won 4 of 7 meetings with the Rays this year, Texas will host the biggest game of their season.
Both teams finished the regular season with identical 91-71 records and because the Cleveland Indians finished higher in the Wild Card race, Texas and Tampa are now forced to play one game to determine who gets into the coveted Wild Card showdown. With each club winning 8 of its last 10 to get into this position, the upcoming pitching match-up certainly sets up to be one of the more interesting showdowns all season. David Price - who finished the regular season with mark of 9-8 and a 3.39 ERA for the Rays - is set to square off against Martin Perez, a 22-year-old rookie who went 10-5 with a 3.55 ERA in 19 starts for the Rangers this season.
Entering his first playoff contest, Rivera is confident in his ability to earn a victory simply because he knows his teammates believe in him.
"I feel comfortable because they trust me," Perez said. "I'm excited, but I don't want to put pressure on myself. It's just another game and I'll focus on what I have to do and throw strikes."
While Perez is ready for action, David Price is excited for the opportunity to help Tampa Bay advance further into the postseason. Noting that this game is obviously the biggest of the season, Price is happy the pitching duties fall on his shoulder since he's ready to go.
"This is hands down my biggest game of this year," Price said. "It's night and day bigger than Opening Day. It's big. This is the moment that I want to be in. I want to be able to relish this moment and just go out there and have fun."
American League Play-In Game TV, DATE & TIME INFO
DATE: Monday, September 30
TIME: 8:07pm, ET
TV COVERAGE: TBS
LIVE STREAM: CLICK HERE
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
