The 2008 World Series was the 104th World Series between the American and National Leagues for the championship of Major League Baseball. The Philadelphia Phillies, as champions of the National League, and the Tampa Bay Rays, as American League champions, competed to win four games out of a possible seven.
The Series began on Wednesday, October 22, and (after weather delays had postponed the end of Game 5) concluded the following Wednesday, October 29. The American League's 4–3 win in the 2008 All-Star Game gave the Rays home field advantage for the series, meaning no more than three games would be played at the Phillies' stadium, Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies won their second championship in their 126-year history, taking the series four games to one and brought the city of Philadelphia a championship after 25 years. This was the first postseason series lost by a Major League Baseball team based in the state of Florida; previously, the Rays and Florida Marlins were 8–0 in post-season series.
The Philadelphia Phillies advanced to the World Series after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League's Divisional and Championship Series, respectively. The team won its position in the playoffs after its second consecutive National League East title. This was the Phillies' first World Series appearance in fifteen years. The Tampa Bay Rays advanced to the World Series after defeating the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox in the American League's Division and Championship Series, respectively. The team earned its first trip to the postseason in franchise history after winning the American League East title, only one season after finishing in last place. Since each team had come first in its respective division during the regular season, this was the first Series since 2001 without a wild-card team.
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Yet who’s so bold but says he sees it not.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
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