The final out has been recorded, and the better team is dancing toward history.
Any minute now, they’ll turn off the scoreboard and lights at Tropicana Field. The disco ball in the Rays clubhouse will remain joyless and dark, and the players will soon share hugs and muted jokes on their way out the door.
This is how a season ends for a World Series runner-up. Cruelly, and without rings or recompense.
And yet, even after a 4-1 loss to the Brewers in Game 5 on Wednesday night, this is not a night for tears or regret. Sadness, yes. Disappointment, sure.
But not regret. Not for these Rays.
To allow four losses in October to ruin your memories of a season both magical and improbable would be a sin.
For this season was a gift. An unexpected gift, and it should not be forsaken simply because it failed to end in perfection.
“We’re all very competitive in here, so that part of us is definitely bummed that we lost,” said centerfielder Jonny DeLuca. “But we can also appreciate what we did, how we came together, how far we came, how we refused to listen to the outside noise, it was such a fun ride.
“Just so grateful and privileged to be a part of this.”
The Rays began this year as 80-to-1 long-shots to win the World Series. According to sportsoddshistory.com, that would have made them the most unlikely team to win it all since the Minnesota Twins 35 years ago. To put it another way, it would have been the biggest upset since Yandy Diaz was in diapers.
And after 176 games, the Rays fell only three victories short.
“It was an incredible season,” said principal owner Patrick Zalupski. “I’m so happy for the guys, the organization. Ken (Babby) and I couldn’t have imagined this going in.
“But, yeah, nobody gets to this point and doesn’t want to win the World Series. Our guys wanted it as bad as anybody, and I hurt for them and the coaches and manager. It’s a tough, tough, tough way to finish. But you’ve got to look back and say what a storybook season.”
There was a moment, after the blowout loss in Game 3, when there was a possibility of a sour aftertaste. Between the dismal homecoming to Tropicana Field and the possibility of a four-game sweep, it would have felt like an underwhelming conclusion.
The Rays rectified that in Game 4.
Twelve innings of spellbinding baseball with the season on the line. A total of 15 pitchers and 367 pitches. Nearly 4 ½ hours of baseball. And when it was over, the Rays had a 4-3, 12-inning comeback victory that ranks among the most consequential games in franchise history.
With the Brewers celebrating the franchise’s first World Series title 50 yards or so away on the Tropicana Field turf, Rays manager Kevin Cash addressed the team in the clubhouse.
He spoke of the character of the group and how proud he was of them. How they came together to form a special bond, and how much love there was in that room.
“It’s one of the closest-knit groups I’ve been a part of,” said closer Bryan Baker. “I think we’re all going to be a little sad in the next couple of days when we’re not showing up to the park to play together.”
So maybe Game 5 was a letdown. And maybe, if you go back and rewatch the series this winter, you will bemoan the defensive lapses, the lack of production from the top of the order and the disappointment of the starting rotation.
Yet for all that went wrong, it’s hard to argue that Milwaukee wasn’t simply the better team.
“Very special. A lot of great guys,” said pitcher Freddy Peralta. “Not only players, but great people, too. I know we’re going to be FaceTiming each other during the offseason because that’s what we created here.”
And so it’s important to remember how Chandler Simpson endeared himself to Tampa Bay with a joyous approach to the game that recalled backyard ballgames that would last only as long as mom said they could.
It’s important to remember how a vagabond right-hander with a generous spirit like Nick Martinez could transform a clubhouse with his wisdom and selflessness.
And it’s important to remember that feeling when you saw Victor Mesa Jr. cut down a runner at third base with a laser from deep rightfield.
It’s important to remember it all because this was a unique group that failed to impress experts and computer models but somehow came together to win 98 games and the heart of a fanbase.
“Every day was part of this journey. Every game was its own little story,” Simpson said. “We weren’t really looked upon as one of the best teams in the American League so for us to overcome that and get all the way to the World Series means a lot.”
So is it a shame that the final week did not live up to the rest of the season? You could make that case. You could say the Rays froze on the grand stage, or you could say they finally ran into a team that was even better at doing the little things that matter.
Either way you look at it, the Rays squeezed more out of less than anyone had a right to expect.
So remember the 2-5 start that played into everyone’s worst fear about a last-place finish in the American League East. Remember how the rotation lost Ryan Pepiot, then Steven Matz and finally Shane McClanahan. Remember how Bryan Baker was nearly perfect, and Freddy Peralta was a godsend. Remember how they swept the Yankees in the Division Series and came from behind twice to beat the Guardians in the League Championship Series.
Remember it all, and re-tell it often.
The final week of October will forever be a letdown, but it cannot erase the wonder of what you saw in the summer of 2026.
John Romano can be reached at jromano@tampabay.com. Follow @romano_tbtimes.
