Last season, the Rays took pride in their ability to consistently pull off come-from-behind wins. That trait seems to have carried over into the 2020 season, as the Rays completed their eighth comeback win of the season with a 7-5 victory over the Blue Jays on Sunday at Sahlen Field.

“It says a lot,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said about his team’s resilience. “We took advantage of some mistakes; good teams do that. Just impressed with the overall team effort. We had guys pitching in roles that they’re not accustomed to.”

Through six innings, it appeared the Rays were headed towards a disappointing series loss against the Blue Jays. The game started with a two-run homer for Randal Grichuk off Yonny Chirinos that was just inches out of the reach of Kevin Kiermaier’s glove over the wall in center field. The Rays were 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, and the club was down to its final out in the seventh inning.

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But despite all the signs pointing to a defeat, the Rays found a way to take advantage of the Blue Jays’ mistakes and win their eighth game in their last nine.

“I think this is right up there with our best win of the season. Just no quit in these guys, ever,” Kiermaier said. “We had our backs against the wall for the majority of that game. … This is what our team is about. Right when you think you [can] count us out, we do all the little things right to come back and give ourselves a chance.”

The big break for the Rays came in the seventh inning. With two outs in the inning, Yandy Díaz singled to right field, which should’ve moved Austin Meadows to third base, representing the tying run. But a misplay by Teoscar Hernández in the outfield allowed Meadows to scoot around the bases and tie the game at 5.

Just how big was the misplay? Before the single, the Rays had a 26.4 percent chance of winning, according to Fangraphs’ win expectancy tool. After the misplay, the Rays’ chances went up to 47.1 percent.

“I just kind of kept my eyes on [third base coach Rodney Linares], and he just continued to send me the whole way,” Meadows said. “I just tried to bust it as good as I can. I didn’t know if it was going to be a close play, I didn’t know what was going on behind me, so I just watched him and I continued to run. Luckily, that was a clutch hit by Yandy to get us tied.”

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The Rays went into extra innings looking for another big hit against former Rays pitcher Wilmer Font, who came into Sunday’s game with a 1.04 ERA against Tampa Bay in five career appearances. Willy Adames made sure to change that.

With one out in the eighth, Adames sent a first-pitch fastball over the right-center-field fence at Sahlen Field, giving the Rays the two-run lead they wouldn’t relinquish. It was the second home run of the season for Adames, who showed once again why he’s considered one of the best young shortstops in the American League.

“I’ve been watching Brandon Lowe hitting, and it’s been so fun, so I just wanted to catch up,” Adames joked. “I just wanted to be aggressive, because I knew he was going to attack the zone. He gave me the right pitch to hit, I was able to put the barrel on it and I’m just happy that the ball went out and we got the win.”

Sweeping Sunday’s doubleheader was big for Tampa Bay in the standings, but it was also huge for momentum heading into Monday’s off-day and a crucial three-game set against the Yankees that begins on Tuesday in the Bronx.

“Everyone knows how great of a win this was, and we’re feeling really good about a happy flight and a good off-day tomorrow,” Kiermaier said. “We feel really good about ourselves heading into this Yankees series, and we’re going to be very excited for that.”