"The celebration was winding down in the Rays' clubhouse early Thursday morning — very, very early. The smell of champagne-saturated clothing and hair filled the room and shouts of jubilation had given way to looks of quiet satisfaction.

Off to the side, his shirt soaked with the excess of success, Andrew Friedman had a dazed smile as he tried to explain what everyone had just seen but still couldn't really process. As the Rays' executive vice president, he had helped build the team that rallied from seven runs down in the eighth inning and eventually beat the New York Yankees, 8-7, to qualify for the American League playoffs."