Tampa Bay Rays Eliminated From Playoffs After 7-1 Loss To TX Rangers

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Tampa Bay Rays were the first Major League Baseball team to be eliminated in the postseason playoffs after losing 7-1 to Texas Wednesday at Tropicana Field.

The Rangers swept Tampa Bay in two games during the American League wild-card playoff series.

Following their loss Wednesday, the Rays wrote in an Instagram post, “Love ya, Tampa Bay.”

With the win, Texas advanced to a Division Series at AL East champion Baltimore Orioles starting Saturday.

The Rangers beat the Rays 4-0 in Tuesday’s series opener.

The Rays’ scoreless streak reached 33 innings, one shy of the postseason record held by the 1966-74 Los Angeles Dodgers, before Curtis Mead’s RBI single in the seventh.

The win is Texas' first in a postseason series since 2011, when the Rangers reached the World Series before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals.

After securing the AL’s second wild card, Tampa Bay lost its seventh straight postseason game. In getting swept in consecutive Wild Card Series, the Rays scored two runs over four games while hitting .161.

The series loss follows a 99-win regular season for Tampa Bay.

This story includes reporting from The Associated Press.