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Nick Bierbrodt's strong pitching helps the team avoid its 100th loss, beating the playoff-bound Yankees.
By KEVIN KELLY
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 5, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- The cork board that hangs on a cinder-block wall inside the Rays clubhouse normally is reserved for lineup cards, pregame schedules and daily reminders.
On Thursday, however, a handwritten note from a fan was tacked to it before Tampa Bay's game against the Yankees.
"This is the first letter I have written since I was 12 -- and the only one to a whole team," it began. "You guys are incredible!
"My interest in baseball had dimmed over the years. But since this year's All-Star break, I have become passionate for it."
And so have the Rays.
A team that played so poorly earlier this season it was on pace to lose a record number of games, beat the playoff-bound Yankees 4-1 for its 60th win of the season before an announced 15,265 at Tropicana Field.
"It's special to win," manager Hal McRae said. "It's not special to beat the Yankees. It's special to beat anyone."
In the minds of Rays personnel, winning 60 is more significant than the team making room in the major-league cellar for the Pirates.
Both clubs are 60-99 with three games left.
But the Rays didn't win their 30th game until July 20, are 33-38 since the All-Star break and have won six of eight.
"They've played unafraid and that's very important for young players," McRae said. "So far it's made us a better ballclub. We were losing and felt like we were being attacked. And that's a bad feeling, to feel like you're retreating once the game started. "But we've started to charge. We didn't always win and we weren't always successful. But we've started to charge and each night we want to charge."
Tampa Bay beat the Yankees with solid pitching and, surprisingly, a power burst on offense.
In his final start of the season, rookie Nick Bierbrodt (3-4) allowed one run in six innings despite not having his best control.
"He had good enough stuff to get by," McRae said.
The left-hander, who was acquired in a July trade from Arizona, used his last pitch of the game to strike out Randy Velarde on a 3-and-2 pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth.
"Tonight, I made big pitches when I had to," Bierbrodt said.
Added McRae: "Tough pitch. I think (Velarde) was probably surprised and it was a late-breaking slider in a good spot on the plate."
Steve Cox, Aubrey Huff and Toby Hall homered off New York starter Adrian Hernandez (0-3).
It was the club's first three-homer game since Sept. 1 and pushed its total to a measly 120 for the season.
Chris Gomez gave the Rays a three-run lead with a run-scoring double in the seventh that extended Tampa Bay's record streak of at least one double to 42 consecutive games.
"As a team, everyone's numbers aren't that great but we're hitting pretty well," said Cox, whose 431-foot homer gave him a career-best 12 this season. "We're getting the big hits lately and we're doing a lot better."
That includes Huff, who hit two homers in as many games.
Sent to the minors on Aug. 23 to work on every aspect of his game, McRae is warming to the idea of playing him in the designated hitter's slot.
The Rays are 11-7 with Huff as DH.
"It's fun right now," he said. "It's more fun than it's been all year. As young as we are and as well as we're playing against the top teams in the American League, it's a lot of fun."
Jesus Colome came on after Bierbrodt and pitched two scoreless innings. The hard-throwing right-hander allowed one hit and has a 1.29 ERA in his past two appearances.
Closer Esteban Yan pitched a perfect ninth for his 21st save as the Rays avoided becoming the first team since the 1996 Tigers to lose 100 in a season.
"The way we're playing right now has really gotten a lot of people's hopes and expectations up for next year," second baseman Brent Abernathy said. "Maybe next year in April we can be sitting here and talking about how we're playing good ball and not have to wait until August and September to say, "Yeah, we're playing good but we're already 40 games back.'
"It's just going to energize us for the offseason."