ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Down to their last chance, the Tampa Bay Rays left no doubt they were World Series-worthy, after all.

Believe it: Baseball's doormats have arrived.

Going from worst to first, the young Rays completed a stunning run to their first pennant, holding off the defending champion Boston Red Sox 3-1 Sunday night behind Matt Garza's masterful pitching in Game 7 of the AL championship series.

"It's unbelievable," center fielder B.J. Upton said. "We battled a lot of adversity this year. We stuck together as a team."

And, they showed a bit of Boston-like resolve when they needed it.