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Perez Displays Skills In Debut

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By MARC LANCASTER The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 6, 2008

TORONTO - The Rays brought OF Fernando Perez to the majors Sunday - just in time to make him eligible for the postseason roster - because he can do things no one else in the organization can.

In case you were wondering about that "unique skill set" cited by Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman when Perez was recalled, it was on full display Friday night as the 25-year-old made his major-league debut.

Perez came in to pinch run for Dioner Navarro after the catcher singled with one out in the seventh inning and eventually rounded the bases to score on an infield single by Jason Bartlett. But Perez's real star turn came in the ninth.

Needing base runners with a 6-3 deficit, Perez faced down southpaw closer B.J. Ryan as he stepped into the batter's box for the first time. After showing bunt a couple of times and pulling the bat back, the switch-hitter dropped one down the first-base line and took off.

He screamed down the line as Lyle Overbay hurried for the ball and dropped down into a slide to duck away from the first baseman's swipe tag. It was, in essence, exactly how the Columbia University grad drew it up.

"If you would have asked me what my first major-league hit was going to be, I knew it would have been a bunt, I figured it would have been on the left side," Perez said. "Usually I like to swing the bat from the right side, but it was the perfect situation for it."

As for the slide, that was part of the plan, too.

"I was just trying to avoid the tag," Perez said. "I don't even know how close it was, but he wasn't going to get me."

Nor was anyone else. Two batters later, Bartlett rifled a double to left-center and Perez came flying around the bases to cut into Toronto's edge. It went for naught when the Rays couldn't push any more runs across, but Perez certainly left an impression.

"He's got a jet - properly placed," Manager Joe Maddon said. "He can go. He can absolutely go."

Perez said he wasn't nervous for his debut, opining that coming in to do a specific job - even in the midst of a pennant race - was "strictly business."

The souvenir he received after the game - a baseball purporting to be from his first big-league hit - was lighter fare. Following tradition, someone inscribed the ball with a vaguely insulting commemoration about how Perez "outran a slow first baseman" for his hit.

"This one's better than the real one," Perez said with a smile.

GIANT STEP? It isn't that 3B Evan Longoria hasn't been busy lately. Thursday, he autographed some bats for the ubiquitous Jonas Brothers as they made a tour stop in Tampa. And he plans to do some "star-watching" this weekend with the Toronto International Film Festival bringing all sorts of celebrities north of the border.

All things considered, though, he would prefer to be back in the Rays' lineup, and he hopes to take what Maddon called a "significant" step in that direction today. After taking four days off from swinging to rest his fractured right wrist, Longoria will take some swings with a broomstick today, and if he feels good he might progress to a regulation bat as well.

"I'm pretty hopeful now," Longoria said. "My wrist feels great after taking four days off, not doing anything."

He also got a positive review from hand specialist Doug Carlan in a checkup Thursday, indicating he may be close to a return - though he and the Rays still won't put a timetable on it.

NOTEWORTHY: In other injury news, Maddon said LF Carl Crawford has returned to Arizona for a checkup on his surgically repaired right hand. The Rays still don't know if or when Crawford might return. ... Rain pushed Game 3 of Durham's playoff series against Louisville back to tonight.

Marc Lancaster

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