ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—The young, resilient Rays are one win from breezing into the American League championship series.

All-Star Scott Kazmir settled down after a shaky start, Akinori Iwamura hit a go-ahead, two-run homer and the AL East champions beat the Chicago White Sox 6-2 Friday for a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series.

“This is just awesome,” said Rocco Baldelli, who singled in a run.

Giving many fans a close-up look of the formula that transformed Tampa Bay from a last-place team to a power, the Rays rallied for the second straight day and r...

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