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Tampa Bay hits for power, runs well and strikes out 14 A's in rallying to win 8-6.
By MARC TOPKIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 2, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- You had to figure things were going to go the Rays' way.
They hit three home runs in a game for the first time in more than a month. They struck out 14 batters for the first time in more than a year. And they stole three bases in an inning -- by the unlikely trio of Ben Grieve, John Flaherty and Jared Sandberg -- for the first time ever.
With all that working for them, the problems Doug Creek had throwing the ball that left them down three runs in the sixth inning were nothing. The comeback kids -- and what else would you call them? -- hustled and muscled their way to a thrilling 8-6 victory Saturday over the sizzling Oakland A's before 15,944 at Tropicana Field.
"We came from behind in a game we probably could have given up on, and we're playing probably the hottest team in the league. So it's a great win," said Jason Tyner, who knocked in the go-ahead run in the eighth.
"It's exciting. We just keep playing hard and finally things are starting to turn for us. We're starting to get some breaks and it makes playing exciting. We're going to keep playing that way and finish the year strong."
The Rays for nearly two months have been playing better and more competitively, and manager Hal McRae lauded their enthusiasm and their effort.
"The key is that we didn't quit when we were down," he said.
"It's the way we've been playing lately," Flaherty said. "Maybe we're not winning a lot of these close games, but we're finding a way to stay in them and battle and you always feel you've got a chance to score some runs and make the game interesting late. And that's what happened today."
The Rays had built an early lead on a two-run homer by Steve Cox and a run-scoring single by Sandberg, then used home runs by Flaherty and Brent Abernathy to pull within 6-5 going into the eighth, when they exploited Oakland's troubled bullpen for three more runs.
They tied the score when Sandberg delivered another big hit, doubling home Grieve with one out. They went ahead when Tyner, on a .370 tear, knocked in Sandberg with a double down the rightfield line. And they added an important insurance run when Damian Rolls, who replaced injured Greg Vaughn, singled in Tyner.
The eight runs were the most they'd scored in a week, but the three home runs -- considering they'd hit just 13 in all of August -- were more impressive.
"I don't know where the doctor came from; he doesn't visit us too often," McRae said. "I was thinking, wouldn't it be a shame for the Devil Rays to hit three home runs and lose the ballgame."
The Rays were in position to win because of their pitching, and they nearly lost because of their pitching.
Nick Bierbrodt had an excellent start, striking out seven over 51/3, and Victor Zambrano, Bobby Seay (who got his first win) and Esteban Yan were impressive over the final 32/3, Yan striking out A's slugger Jason Giambi on a 96 mph fastball to highlight his first save in three weeks. "About time," Yan said.
But in between, Creek nearly threw it all away. Called on to protect a 3-2 lead with the tying run on second in the sixth, Creek walked his first two batters by throwing eight straight balls. Then he fielded Eric Chavez's grounder and threw the ball past first base, allowing three runs to score.
"It's a lonely feeling out there when you back off the mound and try to sit there and think what kind of adjustments you can make," Creek said. "One guy doesn't do his job and everybody helps pick him up. That's the sign of a good team. It's a testament to the guys we've got on this team to come back and win that ballgame."
The A's had won six straight and 22 of their last 28 in surging to a comfortable lead in AL wild-card race, doing so with such authority that McRae said he thought they might be the team to beat in the playoffs.
But after the game, the A's were praising the Rays, who got their third win in 77 games when trailing after seven innings.
"They're a young club and they're not going to quit," Johnny Damon said. "We'd be fooling ourselves if we thought they were. They could be a decent team in the future, and their future is right now. They showed their possibilities."