Recap: Tampa Bay vs. Chicago WSox
Sports Network | October 02, 2008
St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Evan Longoria finished 3-for-3 with two home runs and three RBI as Tampa Bay made its postseason debut a winning one, with a 6-4 triumph over Chicago in Game 1 of the American League Division Series from Tropicana Field.
Akinori Iwamura was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored for the Rays, who earned the first playoff berth in franchise history by winning the AL East with a 97-65 record.
Willy Aybar and Carl Crawford each knocked in a run, while Jason Bartlett added two hits and scored once.
James Shields (1-0) notched the win after allowing six hits and three runs over 6 1/3 innings. The young right-hander fanned four with a walk. Dan Wheeler allowed a run but recorded the final three outs to earn his first save.
Dewayne Wise hit a three-run homer and Paul Konerko added a solo shot for the White Sox, who had beaten Detroit and Minnesota on Monday and Tuesday, respectively, to reach the postseason for the first time since winning the World Series in 2005.
Chicago starter Javier Vazquez (0-1) was tagged for eight hits and six runs over 4 1/3 innings in the loss.
Game 2 is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. (et) on Friday in St. Petersburg.
