BALTIMORE, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Robert Andino's RBI single finished a ninth-inning rally Wednesday that gave Baltimore a 4-3 win and brought an agonizing end to the Boston Red Sox season.
In a bizarre closing night to the regular campaign, Boston first appeared headed to the playoffs and then found itself knocked out by comebacks staged by both Baltimore and Tampa Bay.
The Rays, who began the evening tied with Boston for the American League wild-card berth, rallied from a 7-0 deficit against New York to defeat the Yankees in 12 innings. Tampa Bay scored its winning run in St. Petersburg just moments after Boston was shocked by Baltimore's two-run rally in the ninth.
All of those dramatics made Tampa Bay the AL's wild-card team and will send them to Texas for the start of the playoffs on Friday. New York will host Detroit Friday night in the AL Division Series.
The wild evening was punctuated in Baltimore by a rain delay in the seventh inning. Boston was holding a 3-2 lead when the rains came and it was still a 3-2 contest heading into the ninth.
Jonathan Papelbon came out of the bullpen for the Red Sox in the ninth and promptly struck out both Adam Jones and Mark Reynolds. Chris Davis then doubled to right and, after Kyle Hudson pinch-ran for Davis, Reimold delivered a ground-rule double to right that tied the game.
Andino followed by hitting a 1-1 pitch from Papelbon (4-1) to left to end the game and Boston's season.
The Red Sox had a nine-game lead over Tampa Bay in the wild-card race when the final month of the season began. Boston went 7-20 during September while the Rays were going 17-10.
Jim Johnson (6-5) got the win for the Orioles by working the top of the ninth. Baltimore finished its first full year under Manager Buck Showalter with a 69-93 record.
