Following Sunday night’s exciting 3-1 victory over the defending champion Boston Red Sox, the Tampa Bay Rays are headed to their first World Series.

They leave 10 years of futility in their wake, years in which they dwelt in the American League East cellar. After losing 96 games last season, the Rays have gone from worst to first and are ready to prove themselves as an elite powerhouse, even if it is something new to them.

Before this season, the Rays had not won more than 70 games in a single season, but there was something special about this club that gave them reason to believe they would at least finish at .500. From the moment spring training began, the Rays, formerly known as the Devil Rays, were out to prove that they could tangle with the Red Sox and the Yankees, and tangle they did.

In an exhibition game with the Yankees, Rays infielder Elliot Johnson steamrolled Yankees catcher Francisco Cervelli in a successful effort to score from first on a double, which resulted in a fractured wrist and over two months of missed time for Cervelli. This incident was a sign of things to come for the Rays, playing tough, though not at all times pretty, and developing into baseball’s best story of the season.

Led by manager Joe Maddon, the Rays’ style of play is vastly similar to the way that the Angels’ Mike Scioscia manages, which is hard and aggressive. Maddon is comparable to Scioscia because he was the Angels’ longtime bench coach, so he was able to learn from one of the game’s best.

The Rays have a combination of power and speed with players like Carlos Pena, B.J. Upton and Carl Crawford, but they are also good at the little things, such as bunting and executing hit-and-run plays. The Rays were able to get where they are because of team chemistry and unity among the players and coaches.

Maddon brought new life to this team by creating the slogan “9=8,” signifying that it takes nine players to play hard for nine innings and if they play well enough, they will earn one of eight playoff berths. The team bought into this idea and it paid immediate dividends, leading the Rays into first place for 109 days and most of the season, after being in first place for only 18 days the previous 10 years combined.

From day one, the Rays have surprised people because no one ever believed in them but themselves.

No one thought they would win the American League East or make the playoffs, but they did. No one thought they would beat the White Sox, dethrone the world champion Red Sox and make it to the World Series, but they did just that.

Their next test will be against a very tough Philadelphia Phillies team in the World Series, starting tomorrow night in St. Pete.

However, the fans in Tampa now believe in their Rays and with four more victories, they can do what no one thought was possible at the start of the season by winning a championship.

Maybe getting rid of the “Devil” was just what they needed.