For a long while I was very worried this recap would have to be about 42 year old Justin Verlander for one game this season reclaiming his Hall of Fame stuff of yesteryear to dominate the Rays hapless hitters.
Perhaps many of you reading this went to bed expecting that to be the end of this game’s story. I wouldn’t blame you. It has happened plenty of times before this year.
But this ain’t that dream.
After 7 innings of frustratingly domionant 2 hit 8 K ball from Verlander, the Rays bats got to face the Giants bullpen and suddenly: they woke up.
8th inning, Jose Butto took over for San Francisco and with just 2 pitches recorded the first two outs. Butto lost his grip on a sweeper plunking 9th hole hitter Nick Fortes. Butto’s control would keep waviering falling behind 3-0 vs Chandler Simpson. After getting his customary 3-0 strike, Chandler took a pitch low and away for what seemed like ball 4 to the majority of people in the park. Unfortunately the one that mattered disagreed, calling it a strike. Kevin Cash showed some fire disagreeing enough to get his first crack at the clubhouse snacks.
I’m glad that Cash is not an Aaron Boone out there constantly complaining about every little thing. But, there are times when a team needs to see their manager get livid and this moment here was one of those times. After the ejection, Chandler Simpson still had another pitch to deal with. As the great philosopher Rasheed Wallace once said: ball don’t lie
Chandler Simpson laced a single to reach base the batting average way, turning the order over to last night’s hero, Yandy Diaz. Once again, Yandy comes through with late inning clutch base hit, tying the game with a single to right center.
Giants would bring in a lefty to face Brandon Lowe. BLowe is not one to try and slap anything, especially not opposite field. He’s made his career on smashing bombs. But he’s also a professional hitter, and in this moment he took what he was given and poked the go-ahead (and ultimately game winning) RBI with a solid single the other way on a pitch off the plate.
With the 8th inning 2-out rally, the Rays got their first lead and 6 outs to have to defend it. Bryan Baker, Pete Fairbanks.
And my oh my did they deliver. First let me talk Baker, because tonight might have been his best appearance as a Ray.
He was tasked with the shutdown inning, facing the heart of the Giants lineup: Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, and Dominic Smith. Baker had all three them dancing on strings.
Pete got the 9th and after a single to the Grandson of the Wind, Fairbanks decided to stop giving up any contact at all. Wiping out Koss, Fitzgerald, and Flores with three swinging strikeouts. They were out. They were always out. They were out since they day they were born.
Combined, Baker and Fairbanks earned their Hold and Save respectively with a combined 2 IP 1 H 5 K performance to secure the game and series win. Straight filth from the Rays pen when they needed it most.
