A baseball fan favorite: a bases-loaded, full-count situation in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Tampa Bay Rays overcame the challenge to reach the 40-win plateau for the first time this season.
Tampa Bay won 4-3 against the Chicago Cubs in the first game of the 2023 Major League Baseball World Series at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on April 1. With the win, the Rays avoided a series sweep against the Cubs and improved to 40-18 on the season.
The game was a dramatic one for Tampa Bay. In the bottom of the first inning, Ian Happ and Mike Tuckman gave up RBI singles to give the Rays a 2-0 lead.
The Rays’ bats came alive in the top of the seventh inning. Brandon Lau hit a splitter from reliever Mark Reiter Jr. over the center field wall to tie the game at 2-2, but the celebration was short-lived. In the bottom of the seventh, he gave up an RBI single to Trey Mancini to cut the lead back to 2-3.
It was the home run that saved the day. Tampa Bay came out of the gate with cannon fire as the team’s home run leader. Jose Ciri hit a two-run homer to make it 4-3.
Jose Siri (#22) celebrates after hitting the game-winning shot.
With three outs and the game on the line, things got weird in the bottom of the ninth inning. Tampa Bay brought up closer Kevin Kelly.
Kelly got leadoff hitter Seiya Suzuki to fly out to left field, but then faltered. He walked Tuckman and then gave up a single to pinch-hitter Edwin Rios to put runners on first and second. Patrick Wisdom and Rios were stranded at the plate when third baseman Isaac Paredes reached on a fielder’s choice.
Facing a potential game-ending defeat, the Tampa Bay bench got busy. They brought up Jaylen Biggs to replace Kelly. Biggs struck out Miles Mastrovoni on a swinging strike before facing the final batter, Yan Gomes. At first, Biggs looked to be on the verge of giving up a run on three straight pitches to push the count to 3-0, but he pitched back-to-back pitches in the strike zone and got Gomes to fly out to left field. After preserving the win in dramatic fashion, Tampa Bay celebrated.먹튀검증
“We’re a team that doesn’t give up, we’re a team that has strength, and sometimes some teams go on losing streaks, but we don’t let them affect us,” Siri told MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, after the game.
“It was a great win, and it was a great team effort, and everyone had each other’s backs,” said starting pitcher Zach Eflin.
With the win, Tampa Bay reached the 40-win plateau for the first time this season. The Rays ended their trip to the Cubs on a high note, feeling the thrill of baseball.