Rays get a piece of history unassisted

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published May 3, 2002

MINNEAPOLIS -- It is rarer than a perfect game, a four-homer game, a six-hit game, even an unassisted triple play.

And the Rays had no idea they were doing it.

When the Rays completed Wednesday's game without an assist, it was the seventh time in major-league history that had happened.

[AP photo] Rays first baseman Steve Cox tags out the Twins' Jacque Jones after Jones' sacrifice bunt during Minnesota's two-run ninth-inning rally.

"That's unbelievable," third baseman Russ Johnson said. "I didn't realize that at all. It just goes to show you how crazy this game is."

None of the infielders noticed anything different about the game, in part because they were making plays; it was just that the Twins legged out three infield singles.

The only groundball outs came when first baseman Steve Cox recorded a somewhat unusual unassisted double play, touching first after fielding Dustan Mohr's grounder, then tagging out Corey Koskie.

"I thought Cox's play was kind of rare," shortstop Chris Gomez said.

The Rays became the first team to go assist-free since the Orioles did it against Oakland on June 20, 2000.

"Wow," infield coach Tom Foley said. "You know what that means? Nothing."

If you were wondering, there have been 19 perfect games, 13 four-homer games, 122 six-hit games and 10 unassisted triple plays.

SLUMPBUSTER: It wasn't much, a bouncer up the middle too slow to make a play on. But for Toby Hall, it was enough to end an 0-for-28 hitless streak that had matched the third-longest in Rays history.

Though the single got him off the record books, Hall seemed more impressed with his sacrifice bunt that led to the Rays' first run. "Precious, huh?"

DH Greg Vaughn, who snapped a team-record hitless streak at 0-for-34 on Wednesday, is expected to play tonight after having Thursday off.

TOUGH DAY: Paul Wilson sailed through six innings, allowing just three singles. But a misplaced pitch led to a two-run homer by Koskie in the seventh, an ensuing walk and a triple got him out of the game and a weak effort by the bullpen cost him a win.

"I thought I did great," Wilson said. "It was one (bad) pitch. It's frustrating. It's amazing how you can go from on top to feeling like you're on the bottom, and that's what I'm feeling right now."

YOU GUYS AGAIN? The Rays had plenty of trouble against Boston's John Burkett and Derek Lowe last weekend in Boston, particularly when they changed speeds, and they have to face them again starting tonight.

Manager Hal McRae said the Rays should be more aware of that now and be able to adjust their approach. But it won't be easy. "Young players like the fastball," he said. "It's tough on younger players if they can change speeds."

THE AMAZING FELIX: Infielder Felix Escalona continues to impress. He reversed direction to make a spectacular double play Thursday, made a savvy move to switch legs on a slide and get called safe on a close play at second and delivered a clutch hit in the seventh.

MISCELLANY: The upper deck is not scheduled to be open during the upcoming homestand, meaning advance sales are well below 29,000. ... Steve Cox had his fourth multihit game of the season. ... The Rays had never gone winless on a multicity trip. They'd been 1-7 on one trip and 1-5 on three. ... It was the fifth time they'd been swept in a four-game series. ... The 2-12 road mark is the worst in the league.

No help needed

The Rays accomplished a rarity Wednesday, going a whole game without an assist. Here's a look at how they got the 24 outs:

Fly/foul outs.....8

Pop/foul outs.....3

Line outs.....2

Strikeouts.....9

Unassisted double play.....2

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