St. Petersburg's Finest

RAYS 7, M'S 0: Doug Waechter's first big-league start is one to treasure, a two-hitter in his hometown.

[Times photo: Michael Rondou] St. Petersburg's Doug Waechter tips his cap after completing a two-hit shutout in his first big-league start.

ST. PETERSBURG - He grew up down the street, just around the corner. He went to a high school exactly 4.4 miles from the pitching rubber inside Tropicana Field. He made his first major-league start on that mound Wednesday, the day of his mother's birthday, before hundreds of family members and friends.

Doug Waechter, the first player from Pinellas County to wear a Devil Rays uniform, wanted to pitch a good six innings. Maybe seven. That's all. Even that would've been impressive. Even that would've satisfied his dreams. Instead, he reared back with his 94 mph fastball and pitched a game almost too impossible to believe.

Waechter, a 1999 graduate of Northeast High, tossed a complete-game two-hitter in a 7-0 win against the Seattle Mariners in front a lively 8,696.

"I enjoyed every second of it," Waechter, 22, said. "Everything I enjoyed. Just being out there, I enjoyed it. Pitching here, I enjoyed it. Being able to throw in front of my family, I enjoyed it. Putting on that uniform, I can't think of a better job right now."

Charged by a roaring standing ovation after every inning and supported by one of the Rays' best defensive efforts of the season, Waechter never was in a jam. He allowed two measly singles, Rey Sanchez in the third and Dan Wilson in the sixth, and two walks. He faced 30 hitters, three over the minimum, and threw 100 pitches.

"What an arm," catcher Toby Hall said. "He was amazing."

Waechter was so good that Rays manager Lou Piniella said he was brought to tears when the game ended.

"Just outstanding," Piniella said. "You couldn't script this any better. Two-hitter. Complete game. What else could you ask for? ... I can't wait to see him pitch again."

As Waechter spoke to the media after the game, he was interrupted by Hall of Fame pitcher Robin Roberts, who introduced himself to Waechter and said, "I really enjoyed that."

So did Waechter, who said he wasn't the least bit nervous. He found himself slipping into a groove in the second and third innings, and Piniella said he knew something special was brewing when Waechter got through the fifth.

After that, Waechter's biggest hurdle was keeping his heart from pounding through his chest.

"Of course, it's hard not to get too excited," Waechter said. "I was pitching in the major leagues, you know? I just had to keep my composure the best I could and remind myself that this still is the same game I've played before."

The Rays relieved some of that pressure by staking Waechter to a 4-0 lead when Aubrey Huff cracked a three-run homer in the third. In a game that Piniella said gave a glimpse of the Rays' future, the top three hitters in the lineup - Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli and Huff - were a combined 8-for-10 with six runs, a double, a triple and five RBIs.

"This was the most fun game of the year for me," Huff said. "You got a crowd behind the hometown boy getting into it. It makes it that much more fun to play baseball."

Piniella called it "probably our best ballgame of the year when you count the total package: pitching, defense and hitting. You can't get any better than that."

Meantime, Waechter kept mowing down the Mariners.

"He pitched with a lot of adrenaline," Seattle manager Bob Melvin said. "He pitched with a lot of emotion. He pitched a whale of a game."

Piniella talked to Waechter after the eighth inning, but Waechter said he felt fine. "That's all I needed to hear," Piniella said. "Hey, I wasn't going to get him (out)."

Waechter then finished off his masterpiece with a 1-2-3 ninth.

"Unbelievable," Waechter said. "I just went out there and tried to do my normal thing. As the game went on, I started realizing what was happening. A lot of prayers were answered. It was just incredible."