Tampa Bay Rays Supporting Cast Made the Difference in ALDS Sweep of Yankees

The Tampa Bay Rays are heading to the American League Championship Series after sweeping the New York Yankees in three games.

And while we've spent much of the season talking about Junior Caminero, Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda, I think this series showed just how important the rest of Tampa Bay's lineup has become.

Especially when you look at who delivered some of the biggest hits against New York.

Aranda was responsible for the only run in Game 1, hitting a solo home run off Gerrit Cole to give Tampa Bay a 1-0 victory.

But things got much more interesting over the next two games.

Richie Palacios delivered a huge two-run single in Game 2, helping the Rays take control of a game that eventually ended in a 5-2 victory.

Then came Game 3, and Ryan Vilade and Victor Mesa Jr. both homered off Max Fried, helping Tampa Bay complete the sweep with a 4-3 victory at Yankee Stadium.

And I think Mesa deserves some additional attention here.

We've talked about his emergence throughout the final month of the regular season, but what he did Wednesday night might have been his biggest moment yet.

With Tampa Bay needing someone to step up, Mesa connected on a 401-foot home run to right-center field, giving the Rays the lead for good.

He even took a moment to admire the home run in front of a Yankee Stadium crowd that certainly wasn't happy about it.

That confidence is something we've continued to see from Mesa as his role with the Rays has grown.

But the bigger story here is what all of these contributions mean for Tampa Bay moving forward into the ALCS and possibly the Fall Classic. The Yankees never held a lead during the entire three-game series, and just 15 days after winning the AL East division title on the same field, the Rays swept their rivals and sent Aaron Boone and the Bronx Bombers home for another season.

New York had Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, and Max Fried on the mound, a trio they have invested heavily in, and Tampa Bay still found ways to score enough runs to win every game.

And they didn't need Caminero to carry the squad either. It was the role players who really stepped up.

There's no question that Díaz, Caminero and Aranda will continue to be the players opposing pitchers focus on during the postseason.

However, when guys like Palacios, Vilade and Mesa are finding ways to contribute, it makes this lineup much more difficult to navigate.