[AP photo] Greg Vaughn is congratulated by Jose Canseco after his two-out homer in the first inning.

Big 8th inning propels Rays

Seven runs in the fateful frame and strong pitching by Ryan Rupe lead Tampa Bay past the Yankees 12-4.

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 23, 2000

NEW YORK -- It was neither a speech nor a lecture. Just 90 seconds of anger and frustration expressed behind closed clubhouse doors Friday night.

The message from Devil Rays manager Larry Rothschild was simple: Play harder or don't play at all.

Did the message get through? Is it possible to intimidate players who have guaranteed contracts? Who knows?

But the Devil Rays returned to the field Saturday and played one of their finest games of the season in a 12-4 victory against the Yankees in front of an announced 47,375.

"You've got to have that instinct to put games away and you have to decide you're willing to sacrifice to win games," Rothschild said. "You have to make that sacrifice, no matter what it might be. Whether it's during a game, or the night before, or preparing yourself for a game. No matter what it is. And then it shows up on the field."

The victory halted a four-game losing streak and erased at least some of the memories of a lifeless team going through the motions.

Fred McGriff, who had not attempted a stolen base all season, swiped second and scored the go-ahead run in the sixth. Gerald Williams, who had six home runs in 10 games, laid down a sacrifice bunt to set up a two-run rally. Russ Johnson scored from first on a routine single.

The Rays played smart and they played hard. They were everything you would want in a team.

"To me, it's the reflection of the willpower and the desire to win. You don't just do them sometimes, you do those things consistently," Rothschild said. "When teams start losing, they tend to back off some of those things and get back to them later. That's just not good enough."

The score belies the tension of the afternoon. The score was tied until the sixth. Even after the Rays went up 5-2, the Yankees came back to make it 5-4.

A seven-run uprising in the eighth turned the score lopsided, but when the inning started the Rays were in serious need of insurance.

A leadoff double by Jose Canseco and run-scoring singles from Miguel Cairo and Williams were as big as any hits on the day.

"Add-on runs and shut-down innings are the key to winning games in the American League," Rothschild said.

After going 0-for-9 the night before with runners in scoring position, the Rays were 7-for-13 Saturday.

Rookie Steve Cox drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth with a two-out single up the middle after McGriff had stolen his base. Johnson, starting at third base for the injured Vinny Castilla, hit a two-run single after Williams laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt.

"There was big hit after big hit," Cox said. "It wasn't like anyone was waiting for someone else to do the job. Everybody was taking the initiative and taking care of the job."

Unlike past games, when hitters did not seem to have a game plan in mind, the Rays forced New York pitchers to throw strikes. The Rays drew six walks and five of those runners scored.

David Cone, the former Cy Young Award winner, lost a career-high seventh straight decision.

"Right from the get-go, we seemed to have the right attitude," Cox said. "Even though Cone started out well, we waited him out. We weren't chasing bad pitches. We were going to be patient and make them come to us instead of getting ourselves out."

Starting pitcher Ryan Rupe had his strongest outing of the season, going six innings and giving up two runs, for his second straight victory. He improved his ERA to 8.53, the first time it has been less than 9.00 since before he was sent to Triple A in May.

And when reliever Jim Mecir found himself in trouble in the seventh, left-hander Mark Guthrie came in to shut the door.

Guthrie took the mound with runners on first and third and two outs and gave up a two-strike single to Paul O'Neill to make it 5-4.

Guthrie then battled cleanup hitter Bernie Williams before striking him out on a sinker in the dirt.

"That was a big strikeout, to say the least," Rothschild said.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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