Paul bracket: 1924 Athletics beat 2017 Rays in five games

Game 1: Rays 8, Athletics 5
WP: Cishek (1-0)
LP: Rommell (0-1)
Save: Colome (1)
HR: Hale (1), Hauser (1), Galloway (1)

Game 2: Athletics 7, Rays 5
WP: Heimach (1-0)
LP: Cobb (0-1)
Save: Baumgartner (1)
HR: Bishop (1)

Game 3: Athletics 5, Rays 4
WP: Baumgartner (1-0)
LP: Odorizzi (0-1)
Save: Harris (1)
HR: Galloway (2), Longoria (1), Ramos (1)

Game 4: Athletics 5, Rays 1
WP: Rommell (1-1)
LP: Snell (0-1)

Game 5: Athletics 6, Rays 1
WP: Gray (1-0)
LP: Archer (0-1)
HR: Miller (1)

Philadelphia battered the Tampa Bay starters throughout the series; the only Rays starter to go at least five innings, Alex Cobb, surrendered six runs.

The series opened in Tropicana Field, and the A's racked up a pair of runs in each of the first two innings off Chris Archer, with Joe Hauser driving in three of those runs. Eddie Rommell took a 5-0 lead into the fifth, but the Rays tied it with two in the fifth and three in the sixth. The 5-5 tie held until the eighth, when Adeiny Hechavarria and Kevin Kiermeier powered a three-run inning with back-to-back doubles.

Philadelphia evened the series despite Steven Souza Jr.'s three-run triple in the first. Max Bishop hit a leadoff homer for the A's and drove in two more in the fourth with a double as the Rays scored four runs to take the lead. Fred Heimach, who allowed five runs in the first four innings, allowed just two singles and a walk in his next four innings, and Stan Baumgartner finished it with an easy three-batter ninth.

The series shifted to 1924 and Shibe Park for Game Three, and the Athletics called on Baumgatner to start on one day's rest. The lefty shut out the Rays for five innings before allowing three runs in the sixth, By then the A's had scored five runs off Jake Odorizzi, with Al Simmons collecting two RBIs and a run scored with three hits, one a double. Wilson Ramo's homer in the eighth pulled Tampa Bay within a run, but the Rays left the bases loaded in the ninth.

Philadelphia started Rommell on three days rest in Game Four, and the knuckleballer came through with eight shutout innings and even drove in the A's second run with a fourth-inning double off loser Blake Snell. Simmons hit two more doubles and a single, scoring once and driving in another.

Bing Miller hit a grand slam in the first inning of Game Five for the Athletics off Archer, and Sam Gray went the distance to wrap up the series, scattering six hits. He walked two and fanned seven.

Player of the Series: Al Simmons.

Projected rotation: Rommell-Heimach-?? (Baumgartner, Gray or Meeker)-Rommell (with penalty)-(??)-(Heimach)-(Rommell with double penalty)