2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Season
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays' 2007 season, the 10th season in franchise history, involved the Devil Rays trying to improve on their 2006 season, where they finished last in the American League East Division, and managed to finish the season with a league-worst record of 61-101. During the offseason they signed Japanese infielder Akinori Iwamura to a three-year deal. Their manager was Joe Maddon who entered his 2nd season with the Devil Rays.
Although the Rays again finished last in the division, they improved their record by five games, to 66-96. Their season attendance increased by 18,653 to 1,387,603. This marks the first time home attendance has increased in consecutive seasons. Joe Maddon's option years through 2009 were picked up by the club on September 8, 2007. The season was marked by incredible pitching performances by club ace Scott Kazmir and rookie James Shields, and the bats of club standby Carl Crawford; rookies Delmon Young, B.J. Upton and Brendan Harris; and free agents Akinori Iwamura and Carlos Peña. Several club single-season records fell during the course of the season.
This was also the last season with the team being named the Devil Rays. The team dropped the "Devil" from the name. Out of nowhere, the following year the team would win the AL East, beating the usual contenders, the Yankees and the Red Sox. The team would win the pennant, but lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.
Read more about 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Season: Regular Season, New Team Records, Season Standings, Game Log
Famous quotes containing the words bay, devil, rays and/or season:
“The seagull’s wings shall dip and pivot him,
Shedding white rings of tumult, building high
Over the chained bay waters Liberty—
Then, with inviolate curve, forsake our eyes”
—Hart Crane (1899–1932)
“In all systems of theology the devil figures as a male person.... Yes, it is women who keep the church going.”
—Don Marquis (1878–1937)
“In vain produced, all rays return;
Evil will bless, and ice will burn.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Let us have a good many maples and hickories and scarlet oaks, then, I say. Blaze away! Shall that dirty roll of bunting in the gun-house be all the colors a village can display? A village is not complete, unless it have these trees to mark the season in it. They are important, like the town clock. A village that has them not will not be found to work well. It has a screw loose, an essential part is wanting.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)