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Rays Prove They Aren't Intimidated

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2008

Star Of The Game: Evan Longoria

Well, here's an easy choice. Longoria, the Rays' rookie third baseman, said he was swinging at the second inning's first pitch - no matter what. Bam! Home run. In the third inning, he anticipated a breaking ball from Chicago's Javier Vazquez. Bam! Another homer. Longoria, who was 3-for-3 with three RBIs, became only the second player in history to hit homers on his first two postseason at-bats (along with Minnesota's Gary Gaetti in 1987). "He likes these kind of moments - in a non-cocky way," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "He's always in the moment. He's not going to be overwhelmed by the situation. And that speaks beyond his skill level."

Key Decision

Maddon wanted James Shields to finish the seventh inning, setting up his bullpen for the finish. But when Shields plunked A.J. Pierzynski on his 100th pitch, filling the bases with one out and a 6-3 lead, Maddon made his move to Grant Balfour. "I thought James could get through it," Maddon said. "But hitting Pierzynski, that was kind of the moment right there." Give credit to Maddon for managing with his head instead of his heart.

Play Of The Game

This will easily get lost amid Longoria's homers, Shields' performance and the work of Tampa Bay's bullpen. But in the third inning, after the White Sox had taken a 3-1 lead and created a hush over Tropicana Field, Akinori Iwamura delivered a run-scoring triple (over the head of White Sox CF Ken Griffey Jr.). Iwamura then scored the tying run on a brilliant fadeaway slide, coming in on Willy Aybar's sacrifice fly.

Quirky Play

Leading off the ninth inning against closer Dan Wheeler, Chicago's Paul Konerko thought he had drawn a walk on a payoff pitch. He dropped the bat, removed his shin guard and headed halfway down the first-base line - only to realize it was ball three. "First time in my life I have ever done that," Konerko said. "I had swung at a pitch so far out of the strike zone that I was mentally thinking 'ball' and I lost the count. I just had to get re-focused." Konerko got back in and immediately smacked three screaming foul balls. On the at-bat's ninth pitch, he homered to left. "That was a good battle," Wheeler said. "The whole idea is not to walk him. He got me. He's a good hitter."

Critical Moment

The White Sox's seventh inning. With the bases loaded, just one out and Tampa Bay protecting a 6-3 lead, Balfour entered to strike out Juan Uribe and Orlando Cabrera. "We had our chance right there, but couldn't get any runs," Pierzynski said. "It's the playoffs. When you get an opportunity, you've got to take advantage."

Crunching The Numbers

So, what kind of statistical advantage do the Rays have now? Since major-league baseball instituted the wild-card era and the best-of-five division series format in 1995, the home team has prevailed in the initial game 25 times. From there, 18 of those first-game winners (72 percent) have gone on to capture the series. Four of the seven teams that faltered? They were from New York (Seattle eliminated the Yankees 3-2 in 1995, Cleveland eliminated the Yankees 3-2 in 1997, Anaheim eliminated the Yankees 3-1 in 2002 and Detroit eliminated the Yankees 3-1 in 2006).

Our Take

A team's postseason experience (or inexperience) might be one of the most overrated concepts in baseball. It just doesn't matter, especially when you begin at home in a short series with a pitcher like Shields and a rookie warhorse like Longoria. These are still the Cinderella Rays, for sure, and the worst-to-first transformation must be given its due. But from an opponent's viewpoint, this isn't such a cute-and-cuddly story. It's more like running into a buzz-saw.

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