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Iwamura Shines In Brighter Spotlight

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Aki Iwamura went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the fifth inning that pulled the Rays within one of the Phillies.

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By KATHERINE SMITH | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 23, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Rays second baseman Akinori Iwamura sees a lot of similarities between the Japan World Series and America's World Series with one major distinction.

The World Series he's playing in right now gets a lot more exposure and it's why Iwamura came out blazing in his first World Series game.

One of the few highlights in Tampa Bay's 3-2 loss to Philadelphia in Game 1 of the World Series, Iwamura went 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the fifth inning that pulled the Rays within one of the Phillies.

"I'm glad I'm a part of [the series]," Iwamura said after the game through an interpreter, "and I'm going to enjoy every moment."

On a night when Rays batters hit an average of .167, Iwamura credited Philadelphia's Cole Hamels as one the "great pitchers."

"He pitched real well and hit the corner and that's what the reality was," Iwamura said.

While most of his Rays teammates struggled against Hamels, Iwamura said the support of nearly 40,000 fans helped him.

"The reason why was the crowd was very loud and I give 100% for these people," Iwamura said. "They've been cheering for us since the first game of the season. They're making a lot of noise."

The noise died down a little early when Chase Utley hit a two-run homer to right field in the first inning, basically setting the tone for the Phillies.

"I can't think of any other way to quiet them down," Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said of the home run. "That's how you do it. If you want to take the wind out of the sails and you shut the cowbells up and get some home runs, that will do it."

Game 1 of the World Series had a similar feel to Game 1 of the ALCS, one in which the Rays came back and one in seven games.

"We were on [in ALCS Game 1] and unfortunately we got the loss," Iwamura said. "We've got to take this loss in a positive way and come back."

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