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An Inspired Performance

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 20, 2008

Star Of The Game: Matt Garza

The Rays needed an inspired performance in Sunday night's Game 7 of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field. That's exactly what they received from right-hander Matt Garza, who pitched the game of his life in a 3-1 victory against the Boston Red Sox, sending Tampa Bay to its first World Series. Garza, the ALCS Most Valuable Player, allowed just two hits in seven innings on 118 pitches - he started the eighth, but was immediately removed when shortstop Jason Bartlett booted Alex Cora's routine grounder. He struck out nine and walked three, finishing 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in the ALCS.

Key Decision

For the first time since Game 3, Rays manager Joe Maddon put Rocco Baldelli in right field. Baldelli smashed a three-run homer to cap that 9-1 victory. Counting Baldelli's first at-bat Sunday night, the right-field position had been 0-for-12 since that homer. But in the fifth inning, with runners on first and second, Baldelli drove in the lead run with a single to left.

Play Of The Game

The Red Sox loaded the bases - painstakingly - in the eighth inning against Garza and a parade of four Rays relievers. When Chad Bradford walked Kevin Youkilis to fill the bases, Maddon went to rookie left-hander David Price, No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft, to face the left-handed batting J.D. Drew. It was a mismatch. Called strike. Swinging strike. Ball (and it was close). Then Drew swung through a 97-mph fastball for strike three and the threat was done.

Quirky Play

With one out in the eighth inning - and runners on first and second - David Ortiz bounced a slow grounder to Akinori Iwamura, who whirled and threw for the force play at second on Coco Crisp. It was a bang-bang play. At first, Crisp appeared to slide past the bag, and it was uncertain whether Bartlett was on the base. But television replays appeared to confirm Bartlett on the bag when he caught Iwamura's throw.

Critical Moment

Jon Lester retired the first nine Rays batters in order before facing trouble in the fourth inning. Akinori Iwamura got the first hit, and with one out, he was forced at second on Carlos Pena's grounder. Then Evan Longoria - with two outs and a 2-2 count - delivered a double down the right-field line. Pena scored all the way from first base, chugging around third and just beating the throw from cutoff man Justin Pedroia to Jason Varitek at the plate.

Crunching The Numbers

The Rays put the game away on Willy Aybar's solo homer to lead off Tampa Bay's seventh inning. Aybar worked the count to 3-2 on Red Sox left-hander Lester, then drilled the next offering over the left-field fence. It was Tampa Bay's 16th homer of the ALCS - a record for one LCS round. Meanwhile, the Rays and Red Sox combined for 26 homers, which is also a two-team LCS record.

Our Take

Team resiliency. How else to describe these Rays? We've lost count of the times they have been counted out. They recovered from a seven-game losing streak heading into the All-Star break. They increased their division lead after losing both Longoria and Carl Crawford to injuries. They fought off the Red Sox for the AL East title in September, twice winning dramatic games when Boston was about to surge ahead. Now this. After the heartbreak in Game 5 (losing a 7-0 lead in the seventh inning) and the flat performance in Game 6 (shut out on four hits), the Rays put it all together Sunday night. And now the team that finished last in nine of its first 10 seasons is just (gulp) four victories away from a world championship.

Joey Johnston

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