RAYS 8, ROCKIES 7 (10): Tampa Bay extends its hot streak with Rey Sanchez's inside-the-park winner.
By MARC TOPKIN
Published June 12, 2004
[Times photos: Michael Rondou]
Rey Sanchez, second from left, is greeted by teammates after his inside-the-park gave the Rays their third straight win, their 14th in the past 20 games.
The Rays' Robert Fick rounds third after his home run down the rightfield line in the third inning.
ST. PETERSBURG - For much of the first two months of the season, the Devil Rays seemed to do everything wrong. For the past three weeks, almost everything they do seems to come out right.
Friday, they won a wild back-and-forth game over the Rockies 8-7 in the bottom of the 10th inning ... on an inside-the-park home run ... by 36-year-old Rey Sanchez ... who hadn't homered in more than two years.
"What a way to finish a ballgame," manager Lou Piniella said.
The thrilling finish made it three wins in a row for the Rays, eight of their past 11 and 14 of their past 20, the second-best record in the big leagues since May 20.
The 14-6 run also marks the best stretch of 20-plus games in franchise history, though you couldn't tell it was the good times by the Tropicana Field crowd, an intimate gathering of 9,280, third smallest of the season.
"These kids are playing good baseball and they deserve the credit," Piniella said. "They're playing hard. There's no quit. It's fun for me to watch them play. It really is."
There had already been plenty of fun: four lead changes, a two-run homer by Todd Helton off Danys Baez to put the Rockies ahead in the top of the ninth and a last-ditch rally by the Rays in their half to force extra innings.
Sanchez came to the plate with one out in the bottom of the 10th and sliced a line drive into rightfield. Jeromy Burnitz made a bad decision to try to make a catch and then a really bad one to let the ball by go by him. "Error in judgment," Burnitz said.
Centerfielder Choo Freeman raced over to get ball but made things worse by throwing it toward third base rather than home. "I figured he wasn't going to get there that fast," Freeman said.
As Sanchez was heading to third, he had one thought.
"Stopping," he said. "I'm looking at the coach. "Hey, stop right there.' "
But as soon as third-base coach Tom Foley saw Freeman's throw heading toward the middle infield, he started to wave Sanchez home.
Sanchez was so surprised he looked back to see what was going on.
"I wasn't sure why he was sending me home the way I was going," Sanchez said.
It was Sanchez's first home run since April 20, 2002, a span of 746 at-bats and the second in his past 1,840 at-bats. And it was his first inside-the-park homer.
"C'mon, with my speed? Yes it is," Sanchez said. "It came at a good time."
More amazing? Managing general partner Vince Naimoli stopped into Piniella's office after the game to tell him he predicted the ending.
"He said he called it, and he said he's got witnesses," Piniella said.
The Rays looked like they were headed toward a more conventional 6-5 victory, but Baez blew his second consecutive save after running off 11 straight.
A leadoff single by Aaron Miles was the first problem, and a two-run, opposite-field home run by Helton - who had five RBIs in his first game at the Trop - was the bigger one, Helton battling through a 10-pitch at-bat.
But the Rays came back again with Rocco Baldelli drawing a leadoff walk, going to third on Tino Martinez's single and scoring when Julio Lugo grounded into a force play but beat the relay to first.
Baez came back strong in the 10th after allowing a leadoff double, and Sanchez's ball bounced the right way. Chad Gaudin was okay in his first start, and Baez, the fifth Tampa Bay reliever, ended up with the victory.
"A good win for us," Piniella said.
It was the Rays' sixth win of the month, one more than they had all of last June, and their third win (in four nights) against NL teams, matching their 2003 performance when they lost a record 15 interleague games.
"Everyone's starting to play well together," said Carl Crawford, who had two triples. "That's what we've been waiting for."
