Mike Zunino is excited at the notion of winning it all with the Rays.

The Rays advanced to the World Series for the first time since 2008 after a 4-2 victory over the Astros in Game 7 of the AL Championship Series. Tampa Bay got right to it early on, with a two-run homer off the bat of Randy Arozarena in the first inning. Mike Zunino followed up with two big RBIs after a solo shot to left field in the second, and a sacrifice fly in in the sixth.

Following a big day at the plate in the win or go home Game 7, the 29-year-old catcher still had some adrenaline running.

“Man it feels awesome,” said a pumped up Zunino. “This is beyond my wildest dreams here. I feel extremely grateful. This group, this organization, what we’ve had to endure this year; it’s a special group. And to be able to play another series with these guys is well worth it.”

After joining the Rays in 2018, the 8-year veteran looks forward to making his first World Series appearance. In the midst of Covid-19, the playoff celebrations have been quite different; but Zunino assures that may not be the case for a World Series championship celebration.

“We’ve done a great job to make it as fun as possible,” said Zunino. “There’s confetti, silly string; I think you’ve seen it. We’ve tried to embrace it for what it’s worth. But I’ll tell you what man, there’s nothing better than popping bottles, and wearing some goggles, and it’s still seeping through there and burning the eyes. There’s nothing better than that. But you know what, there’s one time we get to do that this year; and that’s if we win the world series. And you know, guys have that in mind.”