Veteran Martin shows winning way in ninth

RAYS 6, YANKEES 5: Lou Piniella is smiling again after Al Martin wins it with a one-out single.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published April 6, 2003

[Times photos: Michael Rondou] The Rays' Aubrey Huff and Al Martin celebrate Martin's winning single in the ninth inning.

After Friday's dismal performance turned into a long night of consternation and conversation and carried over into an uncomfortable Saturday afternoon, Piniella was able to sit in his office and smile Saturday night after his Devil Rays rallied for a 6-5 walkoff victory against the Yankees.

"It was a good win for us, it really was," Piniella said. "There was no quit, and that was the best thing."

The day ended as it started, with Al Martin taking charge.

Having played for Piniella in Seattle, Martin sensed Piniella's frustration with losing four straight -- and looking bad doing so -- and instigated a players only meeting Saturday afternoon to, among other things, make sure the younger Rays understood what it takes to play the game right.

About seven hours later, after the Rays took an early lead, gave it back with a sloppy sixth and rallied to tie it in the eighth, Martin went out and showed them, diving in the winning run with a one-out single to right.

"We needed to do something after the last couple days, the way those games had gone," Martin said.

As the ball sailed over rightfielder Raul Mondesi's head, delighting the Tampa Bay fans among the paid Tropicana Field crowd of 20,096, the Rays poured out of the dugout, and they were celebrating more than the Yankees' first loss.

"All the emotion was because of what we've been trying to talk about, about getting back on track and playing the game right," Martin said. "It just happened to be the day we tried to make sure we were paying attention to that.

"And it was the Yankees."

The winning rally was child's play as 21-year-old outfielders Carl Crawford and Rocco Baldelli -- hitting a combined .359 -- started it with a single and a double.

While Martin provided the happy ending, Travis Lee, with three hits and some snazzy defense, and Marlon Anderson, with the tying single in the eighth off left-hander Chris Hammond, did their part.

But there were some miscues, including two errors by shortstop Rey Ordonez and a laughable sixth-inning sequence when the Rays wanted to appeal a call at home plate but starter Joe Kennedy, who otherwise had an okay outing, tossed the ball over catcher Toby Hall's head, allowing two runners to advance.

"That," Hall said, "didn't work out too well."

Having to open the season against the AL heavyweight Red Sox and Yankees has been a tough task, exposing the Rays' inexperience and ineffectiveness and bringing Piniella's frustration to the surface early.

"It's just a big teaching job, teaching these kids how to play," he said.

He was so upset after Friday's weak effort that he skipped the routine postgame media session and sat in his office until nearly 2 a.m., talking with his coaches, some pitchers and Hall, trying to get across his point that the young pitchers have to be smarter and better.

He appeared to still be distraught and downtrodden when he arrived Saturday. "He's walking around like a zombie," Martin said, warning reporters to tread lightly.

And when Piniella met the media in the dugout before the game, he made it clear that improvement -- in performance and preparation -- was a necessity.

Designated hitter Al Martin sends a shot into rightfield with the bases loaded to cap Tampa Bay's rally.

While disappointed in the defensive play and wanting better work advancing runners, most of his disdain seemed to be directed at Hall and the pitchers -- starters who are throwing too many pitches and young relievers who are giving up too many home runs.

A primary concern is that the pitchers are relying too much on their fastballs and getting beat because of it. He wants them to throw more breaking balls and to be smarter about how they use their fastball, making certain they keep it out of a hitter's specific power zone.

The brunt of this will fall to Hall, who said he accepts the responsibility and the challenge.

"He basically told the guys, if they can't get it done, if they can't throw certain pitches at certain times, they might have to go somewhere else to work on it," Hall said.

Piniella was in a somewhat better mood after the game, enjoying the victory but keeping the perspective that a lot of work is needed.

"Boy, we're green in areas and it shows," he said. "What we have to do is keep teaching and keep teaching and keep preaching."