After delivering the final pitch of the 6-2 victory over the Blue Jays, one that sealed their fate as a team destined for October baseball, Emilio Pagan was mobbed by his teammates on the infield of the Rogers Centre. At the outset of the season, the odds that Pagan would have induced the game ending and October clinching ground ball, seemed slim.
Pagan, who was left off the Opening Day roster and sent to Triple-A Durham, has emerged as the de facto closer for a team that has won 96 games with two left to play. The right hander, who the Rays acquired this offseason, is perhaps the epitome of this team.