ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – B.J. Upton is back in Joe Maddon’s good graces.
Upton helped the Tampa Bay Rays win their first pennant with a powerful performance against the Boston Red Sox in the AL championship series.
He went 0-for-4 in Tampa Bay’s 3-1 win in Game 7 but batted .321 (9-for-28) with four homers and 11 RBIs in the series, coming up big for the Rays after a rocky stretch this summer.
Upton was benched three times for not hustling and committed a base running blunder during one confounding period in August. Maddon, the Rays’ manager, kept him in the lineup after he was thrown out at second on what should have been a routine double against the Angels, leaving it to veteran teammates such as Cliff Floyd and Carlos Pena to handle the situation.
Upton stayed out of trouble the rest of the way, hitting .292 with one homer and 10 RBIs in his last 27 games to help Tampa Bay win the AL East title.
Then, he delivered in the playoffs. His shallow sacrifice fly in the 11th inning gave the Rays a 9-8 victory in Game 2 of the ALCS, tying the series at a game apiece.
oved to Boston. He hit a three-run homer out of Fenway Park in Game 3 and scored twice in Tampa Bay’s 13-4 rout Tuesday night. He drove in four runs in Game 5, belting a two-run drive in the first and a two-run double in the seventh.
The 24-year-old center fielder lost out to Matt Garza for the series MVP award, however. Garza went 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in two starts against the Red Sox.
Upton hit just nine homers in a career-best 145 games this season but found his power stroke in the playoffs. He went deep three times in the final two games of the division series against the White Sox.
The second overall pick in the 2002 draft, Upton solidified his status as one of baseball’s bright young stars last year. The converted shortstop hit .300 with 24 homers and 82 RBIs but Tampa Bay went 66-96 and finished last in the division.
His brother, Justin, was drafted No. 1 overall by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005.
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