A little pain, a lot of joy
The pile-on that greets Greg Norton is plenty worth it after his homer clinches a series win.
By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published August 7, 2006
ST. PETERSBURG - Greg Norton had a critical decision to make and about 45 feet in which to make it.
The designated hitter had just hit a 10th-inning home run to give the Devil Rays a stunning 7-6 victory Sunday over the Red Sox at Tropicana Field, and his teammates were waiting to turn home plate into a celebratory mosh pit.
For Norton, halfway between third and home after his first walkoff homer, it was perplexing.
"I've been on the other side of those," he said. "You get some free punches and take out some aggression on people.
"I've told the guys, if I ever did it I would hit home plate and run down the leftfield line, but with my speed I knew they would catch me pretty quick. I was just hoping I wouldn't get too many head shots or rib shots."
Norton ducked and his teammates swallowed him.
"They got me pretty good," he said.
The Rays got the Red Sox, winning the three-game series and quieting the Boston element in a lively crowd of 30,093.
Down 6-2, Tampa Bay scored two in the seventh on Ben Zobrist's double and two in the eighth on homers by Travis Lee and Dioner Navarro.
Reliever Shawn Camp got Rays killer Manny Ramirez to fly out to rightfield with two on and two outs in the 10th after the other Rays killer, David Ortiz, walked intentionally.
"Sweet," centerfielder Damon Hollins said. "Just because it's the Red Sox doesn't mean we can't steal a victory."
"A tremendous team effort," manager Joe Maddon said. "What a rewarding win."
On several levels.
Tampa Bay (47-65) impressed in a 4-3 homestand against the Tigers and Red Sox, two of the majors' best teams, and knocked Boston two games behind the Yankees in the East.
The Rays also have won six of their past seven series against the Red Sox at the Trop, and their seven wins in 10 games this season match their most against any opponent at home.
But for pure drama, there likely hasn't been much to match what the Rays did Sunday to overcome a lackluster first five innings that included Zobrist's first major-league home run, but also a horrendous fifth in which Boston scored three runs on one hit to take a 5-2 lead.
It was baseball as it shouldn't be.
After starter J.P. Howell gave up Ortiz's 40th home run, he walked two in a row. Reliever Edwin Jackson also walked two to force in a run.
Another run scored when Zobrist, at short, was late covering second after first baseman Lee went in the hole to snag Alex Cora's grounder and, looking for a forceout, shoveled to Zobrist.
Kevin Youkilis' sixth-inning single made it 6-2.
"We didn't finish the game," Sox manager Terry Francona said. "We felt pretty good about where we were. It just didn't end the way we wanted to."
It didn't end because Lee took Mike Timlin deep in the eighth, and Navarro, on an 0-and-2 pitch, homered with two outs off closer Jonathan Papelbon, who blew his fourth save in 34 chances and allowed a run for only the fourth time in 49 outings.
It didn't end because Rays relievers Ruddy Lugo, Seth McClung, Brian Meadows and Camp combined for 42/3 scoreless innings.
It ended with Norton's one-out, opposite-field blow to left, the highlight of a six-game hitting streak in which the switch-hitting utility player is batting .476 (10-for-21).
Norton said the key has been staying back on pitches and letting his hands do the work as he did against Julian Tavarez, who fell behind 2-and-0.
"I know Tavarez is a sinkerball pitcher once he falls behind," said Norton, whose average has risen from .252 to .285. "With two sinkers away, he's probably going to throw another one out there. I wasn't trying to hit a home run. I was trying to hit a single or double and have somebody drive me in."
"He's a pro hitter and feeling pretty good about himself," Maddon said. "We're going to try to get him out there as often as we can."
As for the scene at home, Norton survived fine.
"It was enjoyable," he said. "I didn't want to go in. But as I got closer, I sucked it up and went low."
A good decision.