for the strikeout, and Dioner Navarro gunned down Pedroia at second base, who was attempting to steal on the pitch, ending that half of the inning. Willy Aybar belt a solo home run for the Rays in the 7th inning to give them a slightly more comfortable lead at 3–1. Garza was removed with one out in the 8th inning, having allowed only two hits and striking out nine batters, and receiving a standing ovation from Rays fans at the game as he left the field. The defending world champion Red Sox did not go away though, loading the bases in that inning. Joe Maddon elected to go with rookie David Price in hopes of ending the threat. Price did just that by striking out J. D. Drew on a check swing. Price returned to close out the game in the 9th inning, and after two strikeouts and a walk, Jed Lowrie hit a ground ball to Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura, who stepped on second base to make the final out and send the Tampa Bay Rays to their first World Series in franchise history, defeating the Boston Red Sox four games to three. Garza, who had won two games in the series, was named ALCS MVP. World Series: vs. Philadelphia Phillies The Rays now stood only four wins from their first world championship, with only the Phillies in their way. Philadelphia won the NL East division title, disposed of the Milwaukee Brewers in their division series in four games, and the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS in five games. The Rays had home field advantage because of the American League's win in the 2008 All-Star Game. Game 1 In Game 1, Rays starting pitcher Scott Kazmir did not get off to a good start to the Rays' first ever World Series game, giving up a 2-run home run to the Phillies' Chase Utley in the 1st inning. The Rays had a chance to get on the scoreboard in the 3rd inning with the bases loaded and one out, but did not score as B.J. Upton hit into a double play. The Phillies added another run in the 4th inning on an RBI groundout, jumping out to a 3–0 lead. Carl Crawford, the longest tenured Ray on the team's roster, gave the Rays their first run in World Series history, by hitting a solo home run off of