Rays clinched their first playoff berth in franchise history, after a 7–2 victory over the Minnesota Twins. On September 24, St. Petersburg mayor Rick Baker declared 2008 the "Year of the Rays" in the city. On September 26, despite losing that day, the Rays clinched their first ever AL East Division Championship when the Boston Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees. Going 13–14 for the month, the Rays suffered their only losing month of the season. The Rays finished the regular season 2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox for the division championship with a 97–65 record, the third best record in the league, and 31 games better than their finish in the 2007 season. They also surpassed the record for most wins by a team in a single season having finished with the worst record in the previous year, set by the Atlanta Braves in 1991 who went 94–68 after finishing 65–97 in 1990. Postseason American League Division Series: vs. Chicago White Sox The Rays began their first playoff run in franchise history against the AL Central division champion Chicago White Sox, who finished the regular season 89–74 and advanced to the playoffs after defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to decide the winner of their division. In the regular season, the Rays were 5–2 against the White Sox. The Rays had home-field advantage for the series. On September 30, it was announced that Carl Crawford would start for the Rays in his regular left field position, his first start in nearly two months after injuring his right hand and undergoing surgery thereafter. In Game 1, Rays first baseman Carlos Peña started the game, but left after his first at-bat after reportedly having blurry vision because of an eye injury suffered at his home the previous night. Rays third baseman Evan Longoria hit a solo home run in the 2nd inning on the first pitch of his first career post-season at-bat, giving the Rays the early one-run lead. White Sox left fielder DeWayne Wise hit a 3-run home run in the next inning to put Chicago ahead 3–1. The Rays came back in the bottom half of the 3rd inning with three runs of their own, including another home run by Longoria, putting the Rays back on top 4–3. Two more RBI singles in the 5th inning gave the Rays a 6–3 cushion. In