Rays proud of sixth consecutive winning season

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays' 6-2 win over the Rangers on Monday guaranteed the club its sixth consecutive winning season. Only the Yankees (20) and Cardinals (six) can say the same.

Manager Joe Maddon was quick to deflect all of the credit, assigning much of it to Tampa Bay's front office, which continues to put together 90-win seasons with a limited payroll.

"Roll back the tape to when we first arrived and who would have thunk it?" Maddon wondered. "I think it puts us up there among the better franchises in baseball in our recent past, so don't underestimate the significance of that. I think it's spectacular, and it speaks to the organization. To be able to have that much success for that long, you have to have good people at the top or you can't survive."