Rays to commemorate 2008 WS berth, 2011 Game 162 with statues

The Tampa Bay Rays are commemorating two franchise-defining moments with new statues to be unveiled at Tropicana Field on Sept. 23, the team announced Tuesday, according to Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin.

One statue will show Akinori Iwamura recording the final out of the 2008 American League Championship Series to clinch the team's first World Series berth. The other monument will depict Evan Longoria hitting a walk-off homer in the final game of the 2011 season.

With the Rays protecting a two-run lead against the Boston Red Sox in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, Tampa Bay summoned David Price, a rookie at the time, from the bullpen for the final four outs. The left-hander struck out three before the game-ending out rolled up the middle to second baseman Iwamura, who took it to the bag for the force.

In 2011, the Rays climbed back into the AL wild-card hunt and needed to win on the campaign's final day to guarantee a shot at the postseason while in a dead heat with the Red Sox. Not only did Tampa Bay erase a 9.5-game shortfall in the standings, but the club also overcame an early seven-run deficit against the New York Yankees in the last regular-season contest. Longoria's walk-off homer in the 12th inning clinched the final playoff spot, with the Red Sox losing moments earlier.

The Rays have since immortalized the area where Longoria's homer landed just inside the left-field foul pole as 162 Landing.

Longoria currently plays for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Rays are celebrating their 25th anniversary this season since their inception in 1998. Tampa Bay will host the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 23, and fans attending the game will receive mini statuettes.