ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — The stage has been set, and the show begins tonight.
Following a 6-2 win over the New York Yankees in the single-game Wild Card series, the Boston Red Sox punched their ticket to the next round of the postseason.
On the other side waiting was a best-of-five American League Division Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The divisional rivals are pretty familiar with one another, facing off 19 times throughout the regular season.
The two traded the division lead throughout the first half of the season. However, following the All-Star break, Boston stumbled across the finish line, not only losing the division but nearly missing out on the playoffs altogether.
At the beginning of August, Boston held the lead in the American League East but would go on a 29-27 run to finish the season, securing a Wild Card spot by just one game.
This is the second year in a row Tampa Bay has to face a division foe in the ALDS. Last year, the Rays beat New York in five games en route to a World Series appearance.
The team hopes to recreate that magic with another deep postseason run. With a franchise-best 100-win season, the Rays are in the best position to win Tampa Bay its first World Series title.
The Rays host Boston in Game 1 tonight at Tropicana Field.