Jonny DeLuca crushed a fly ball with two outs in the ninth inning, and it looked like Samad Taylor had it. San Diego was up by two, the game was over, or so everyone thought. Taylor made the catch at Tropicana Field’s short left-field wall, but then BAM, he collided. The ball popped right out of his glove and went over the fence for a game-tying homer. Talk about a gut punch.
Chaos at the Wall and the Walk-Off Win
That wall, folks, the one with the cutout designed to help legendary left fielder Carl Crawford rob dingers, it just robbed San Diego of a win. Instead of the final out, DeLuca’s hit turned into instant drama. But the chaos wasn’t done. Two innings later, in the eleventh, Jorge Mateo stepped up and completed the Rays’ escape with a walk-off single, securing a wild 5-4 victory. This insane win gave Tampa Bay their fourth straight W and their MLB-leading fourteenth series sweep, a stat that ties their own franchise record from 2021. This team just keeps finding ways to get it done.
Early Chances and Caminero’s Power
Before all that late-game madness, both teams were busy leaving runners stranded. San Diego had guys at the corners in the first after Manny Machado walked and a Mateo fielding error on a Ty France grounder, but Drew Rasmussen shut it down, getting Jackson Merrill out. The Rays tried to answer, with Jonathan Aranda singling, but he got caught stealing as Junior Caminero struck out for a double play. In the second, Dustin Harris singled, but Nick Fortes threw him out at second. Robbie Ray even stranded Ryan Vilade after a walk and sac bunt in the bottom of the second.
But then the Padres broke through in the fourth. France walked, Merrill singled, and then Xander Bogaerts blasted a ground ball past Taylor Walls and the drawn-in infield for a 2-0 lead. Not for long though! Caminero immediately answered, leading off the bottom of the inning by absolutely launching Ray’s pitch 440 feet into the left-center-field seats. That was his 37th homer, tying him for the American League lead and extending his hitting streak to a red-hot thirteen games. Talk about power! The Rays even had a chance to tie it in the fifth, with Mateo walking and stealing second and third. Tying run 90 feet away, one out. But Taylor Walls fouled off a bunt and Yandy Díaz grounded out, leaving him stranded.
A Grind for the Sweep
Drew Rasmussen battled hard, completing six innings, giving up just two runs on four hits with six strikeouts. Robbie Ray was just as tough, holding Tampa Bay to only Caminero’s bomb and two other hits over six. San Diego did manage an unearned run against Cam, but it wasn’t enough. What a grind, what a win. The Rays really earned that record-tying fourteenth sweep, showing serious grit to come back from that wild ninth-inning turn of events. You gotta love that never-say-die attitude!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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