The Tampa Bay Rays open defense of their American League Championship this afternoon against the Miami Marlins.
The Marlins surprised many by sneaking into the expanded playoffs in 2020. They were no one’s pick even in March, but once they opened the delayed 2020 with a COVID-19 outbreak that put half their roster in quarantine they were seen as more of a dark humor punchline than a contending team. Somehow they ended up with a 31-29 record, enough to squeak in to the Wild Card round. They took out the Chicago Cubs in the first round, but that’s where this Cinderella story would end.