
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — One of the oldest Major League baseball teams played one of the two youngest franchises in a rubber match on Thursday, in a season that has yet to meet either team’s fans’ high expectations.
The Chicago Cubs, born 1876, came into Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays (born 1998) for just the third time in history. The most recent was in 2017, when the “World Champion Cubs”—called that for the first time in 108 seasons—gave manager Joe Maddon a return to the ballpark where he first made history. By leading the Rays to the World Series in 2008 in his first MLB managerial job, Maddon took Tampa Bay from worst to first.

Joe Maddon spent 2006-2014 with the Rays, and 2015-2019 with the Cubs. He also spent time with the Angels throughout his coaching career in 1996, 1999, and 2020-2022 – Image Credit: AP
In fact, at that point they had finished last in the AL East every year in their first decade except one. Ironically, 2008 was the only previous season that the Cubs played in St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, the Cubs have hosted the Rays in five different years, 2003, 2014, 2017, 2022 and 2023.
The first two games of this series had similar endings, except for their completely different outcomes: both had Cubs closer Héctor Neris facing Rays second baseman Brendan Lowe in the ninth with two men on base. On Tuesday, Lowe hit a walk-off homer to give Tampa Bay a 5-2 win. On Wednesday, Lowe’s game-ending fly ball to center gave Neris the save and the Cubs a 4-3 victory.

Héctor Neris, of Villa Altagracia, Dominican Republic, signed with the Cubs this offseason – Image Credit: MLB
So Thursday would determine this season’s series winner. Tampa Bay’s Taj Bradley struck out 11 batters and allowed just two unearned runs in seven innings, his best start of the year.
Bradley’s Rays then crafted three runs around Amed Rosario’s single, a José Siri walk and singles by pinch hitter Josh Lowe and Yandy Díaz. Rays 3, Cubs 2.
LET'S GO! pic.twitter.com/cq22E1bzBj
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) June 14, 2024
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