The Tampa Bay Rays are not interested in moral victories in the World Series. Despite falling behind in the series, Taylor Walls made it clear that his team believes it can win four games and capture a championship.
Walls was asked by Ken Rosenthal whether winning one game was important for the Rays to show they belonged on this stage. The question did not sit well with Tampa Bay's infielder, who laughed before pushing back on the idea that his team needed to prove it could compete.
“Ha. No, I think that is pretty disrespectful, honestly,” Walls said. “We are a team that is capable of winning four. No team wants to get swept. At the end of the day, we think we can win the whole thing. We have full confidence that we can do it.”
Walls' response reflects the mindset Tampa Bay needs as it tries to keep its championship hopes alive. The Rays are not approaching the series as a team satisfied with reaching the World Series. They believe they have the talent to finish the job, and avoiding a sweep was only the first step toward proving it.
Tampa Bay survived Game 4 to extend the series, giving itself another opportunity to defend its home field at Tropicana Field. Now, the Rays must win Game 5 to send the series back to Milwaukee for Game 6. A loss would obviously end their championship hopes.
Jacob Misiorowski is scheduled to take the mound for Milwaukee, while Tampa Bay had not announced its Game 5 starter at the time of publication. The Rays will need another strong performance to keep their season alive and turn Walls' confidence into something more tangible.
The challenge is substantial, but Walls made his position clear. Tampa Bay does not believe it belongs in the World Series merely to participate, and the team has no interest in treating one win as an accomplishment in itself. The Rays want four victories, and they will have to keep winning to make that goal a reality.