Tampa Bay Rays Are Very Close, Which Made World Series Loss More Difficult

Drew Rasmussen may have said it best when, in a solemn Tampa Bay clubhouse, he noted, “You just don’t know how many opportunities you are going to get to win a championship at this level and to come so close and have the club that we did, it’s hard.” It is hard. Very hard. The 2026 Tampa Bay Rays were a tight group that genuinely enjoyed being together within and outside the walls of a clubhouse that knew it had something special all along. Shane McClanahan expressed as much earlier this season. “It’s just a group of really good dudes,” the southpaw said in early May . “There are no egos. There’s no selfishness. It’s just good people playing baseball hard.” The good people continued to play hard in a season that did not conclude until Wednesday evening with a 4-1 loss in Game 5 of a World Series the Milwaukee Brewers so deservedly won. Nick Martinez was signed as a free agent in February. The veteran righthander flourished with the Rays , became a clubhouse pillar and an all-star who started and relieved in the World Series. "This is the type of group that you will be telling stories about long after you’re done playing,” he said. That is why many Rays remained in the dugout for several minutes after the final out was recorded and the Brewers’ celebration commenced. They accomplished so much together in 2026 after being picked by several outlets to finish at or near the bottom of a five-team American League East they won by 4.5 games before knocking off the Yankees in the ALDS and Guardians in the ALCS. “I think we were picked fourth or fifth in the division,” said closer Bryan Baker . “I think we outshot that a little bit and proved some people wrong. We came together as a family in here.” As the Rays gelled in spring training and through the early part of the season, they knew they were far better than what was suggested by those on the outside. “It’s tough, but at the end of the day we all should be really proud of ourselves,” said Jonathan Aranda, via team interpreter Kevin Vera. A World Series with little offense for Rays Tampa Bay was playing in its third World Series, so that portion of the club’s record book is sparse. Nonetheless, Chandler Simpson’s eight hits (20 AB) equaled Randy Arozarena’s total from 2020 against the Dodgers. Otherwise, the Rays hit .151 against the Brewers. The trio of Yandy Diaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero, impressive all season long, combined to hit .192 (11-for-57) with two RBI. “Milwaukee Brewers pitching,” is how manager Kevin Cash responded when asked about the sparse production of his lineup, which scored 12 runs in the five games. “It’s as simple as that. We ran into a team that had elite starting pitching and then as elite of a bullpen as I’ve ever seen.” Jacob Misiorowski was masterful before a cramping right calf forced him out of his second series start with two outs in the sixth. It may have appeared odd to see two strikeouts during the 86-pitch outing, though the Rays were not doing anything against the young righthander, who allowed two hits and walked one. Jo Jo Romero, without notice, Abner Uribe and Trevor Megill took it from there. This article was originally published on Forbes.com