Rays’ Zimmer surprised — like everyone else

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay senior adviser Don Zimmer, in his 60th baseball season and 10th World Series, says the Rays have produced his most unexpected Series trip.

“I’ve got calls from all over the country. Hearing from everybody. ... How can this happen? I said one thing, ‘I didn’t get any hits. It’s been crazy,’ ” Zimmer said during Tuesday’s workout.

Tampa Bay is just the second major league baseball team to reach the postseason after having the worst record in the majors the year before. The other was the 1991 NL champion Atlanta Braves.

“Who expected it?” Zimmer said. “Anybody that did to me would be telling a fib. But I think this club finally made a believer out of a lot of baseball people. Sit in the living room and think: the Rays beating the Yankees, the Red Sox, Toronto, the White Sox. It’s unbelievable. Sometimes you don’t even know how to explain it.”

Zimmer has won six World Series rings as a player and coach. He hopes he’ll have to stop wearing one of his old rings and put a new one in its place.

“I’ll make room,” he said.