Rays become third team to lose first three World Series, joining Brooklyn Dodgers, Detroit Tigers

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Eyes red and voice soft, Drew Rasmussen stood in front of his locker.“Failure sucks. And to be this close, it’s really, really hard,” the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher said. “That’s the best team I’ve played at the major league level.”Predicted by many to finish at or near the bottom of the AL East, the Rays reached the World Series for the third time but remain without a title. Their year ended Wednesday night with a 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5, leaving them among four teams without a title along with Colorado, San Diego and Seattle.“They’re banged up and hurting right now,” manager Kevin Cash said of his players.An expansion team that started in 1998, the Rays also lost in the World Series to Philadelphia in 2008 and to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. The only other clubs to lose in their first three Series appearances were the Brooklyn Dodgers (0-7) and Detroit Tigers (0-4), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.“It hurts knowing that you got thi