Perhaps the Rays’ celebratory T-shirt will learn one thing like this: “Revenge is a dish finest served crushed,” full with a cartoon depicting Mike Brosseau’s highly effective lower at Aroldis Chapman’s 100.2 mile-an-hour fastball Friday night time.

Brosseau’s dwelling run helped ship the Rays to the AL Championship Sequence and in addition gave them a little bit of payback for that Sept. 1 contretemps by which Chapman threw warmth close to Brosseau’s head as a part of the boiling blood between the 2 groups.

However followers of spectacle bought one thing with Brosseau’s smash, too, past only a spotlight. You don’t should be a Rays fan to get pleasure from it, both.

This rising rivalry now has its towering on-field second, one which’s way more significant than a bunch of fellows sporting the equal of pajamas emptying the benches and appearing robust. One staff beat the opposite in a do-or-die Recreation 5 for an opportunity to play for the pennant. That’s massive time.

So now it appears like we’re in for fairly a trip within the AL East division over the following few years. The Rays are loaded and good. The Yankees are loaded and good. And there’s actual warmth between two groups that don’t like one another. (Aspect notice – we haven’t even introduced up the entertaining, gifted Blue Jays and the Crimson Sox received’t be this unhealthy for lengthy).

Now the identify Mike Brosseau, undrafted free agent, will at all times hit Yankee followers of a sure age a sure approach. The place had been you when Brosseau took Chapman deep?

And Brosseau’s dwelling run was simply the capper the form of sport we hope to see time and again between these groups. Gerrit Cole was terrific in his first begin ever on three days’ relaxation, permitting solely a solo homer to Austin Meadows in 5.1 high-level innings. He struck out 9.

Tyler Glasnow, pitching on two days’ relaxation, gave the Rays 2.1 scoreless frames. Their bullpen – Kevin Money’s “entire rattling secure of fellows who throw 98” – was terrific, too, permitting one run in 6.2 frames.

With the rating knotted at 1 within the eighth, Brosseau squared off with Chapman, who had struck him out in Recreation 4. A bit greater than a month in the past, the 2 had been screaming at one another when the benches cleared.

Grudge match? Loser leaves the world? Heck, Chapman appears like he could possibly be a wrestler, doesn’t he?

Brosseau fell behind, 0-2, however battled again. He fouled off 4 pitches, two fastballs and two sliders. His swings began wanting sharper and shorter because the at-bat went on. Chapman clearly didn’t like a few the calls throughout the at-bat.

On the 10th pitch, Brosseau linked. The Rays bench went nuts. So did Brosseau. It’s one of many greatest dwelling runs in Tampa Bay’s historical past.

“Fingers down the best second I’ve been part of in baseball,” Money mentioned.

Chapman’s 100.2-mph warmth is the toughest pitch ever hit for a homer within the posteason since MLB’s Statcast started recording such issues in 2015. And the Yankees’ nearer is the primary pitcher to permit a go-ahead homer within the eighth inning or later greater than as soon as, in line with Sarah Langs of MLB.com. He did it in Recreation 6 of the 2019 ALCS, too.

Brosseau mentioned the best issues in a postgame interview on the sector with TBS: “No revenge. We put that previously. We got here right here to maneuver on.”

Chapman mentioned one thing related, noting, “I wasn’t excited about that in any respect. That occurred a couple of month in the past. He put swing on that pitch. I’ve to present him credit score.”

Nicely, we had been excited about it. We’re prepared to wager loads of others had been, too. It’s all a part of what’s turning right into a gripping rivalry narrative.

It’s simply getting began. Can’t wait to see what occurs between the groups subsequent 12 months. Who is aware of – the Rays may have some new jewellery by then.