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Upon Further Review, A Homer

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By TONY FABRIZIO The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - The Rays and Tropicana Field again made major-league instant-replay history Friday night.
Sixteen days after replay was used for the first time to verify a towering home run by New York's Alex Rodriguez, replay at the Trop produced the first overturned call.

Carlos Pena's drive to right field in the fourth inning off Boof Bonser appeared to be touched by a fan before bouncing off the top of the wall. First base umpire Mike DiMuro signaled spectator interference, meaning a rulebook two-run double for Pena.

After Rays manager Joe Maddon protested, the umpires huddled and decided to look at video of the play.

It was 4 minutes and 10 seconds before they emerged from a replay room near the visitors' dugout, and crew chief Gerry Davis signaled home run. The three-run shot gave the Rays a 9-0 lead en route to an 11-1 victory.

"We saw two angles," Davis said. "The first one was inconclusive. The second one was the one that showed it."

Davis said the video clearly showed that the ball was above the yellow line at the top of the wall.

Pena said he thought it was a home run all along.

"I appreciate the fact they're trying to get the call right, and I think they did," Pena said. "That's what it's supposed to be like. You don't want to go home with doubt."

MLB instituted replay Aug. 28, allowing for review of whether home runs are fair or foul, whether they cleared the fence or whether a fan interfered on the play. It had been used twice entering Friday's games.

UPTON CLOSE: CF B.J. Upton is on the verge of returning after missing 12 starts with a strained left quad.

"If not today, I think pretty certain by Sunday," Maddon said.

Upton left during the Rays' 3-0 loss at Boston on Sept. 8 and has not played since. He has been available for emergency duty.

Despite playing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Upton was batting .372 with five RBIs in his last 11 games before going down. He's still third in the AL in stolen bases with 42.

"We're still not going to push, but I'm just about there," Upton said.

SURPRISE ANNOUNCER: Mike Joy, lead NASCAR announcer for Fox, has spent the past couple nights at the Trop getting familiar with the Rays and Twins and will call his first major-league game today for the network.

Fox is carrying the third game of the Rays-Twins series as one of three Games of the Week and will show it to about 20 percent of the country. Joy is teamed with Joe Magrane.

"Baseball was my first love," Joy said. "I grew up a Yankees and Cubs fan and studied the game and played Little League and played into high school. I just always loved the game."

MINOR-LEAGUE AWARDS: The Rays named OF Fernando Perez their Minor League Player of the Year and LHP David Price their Minor League Pitcher of the Year and recognized them before the game.

Perez was called up Aug. 31 and has started 10 of the past 12 games for the injured Upton. Price joined him on Saturday and has made two impressive relief appearances.

"Both have a chance to make big impacts on the major-league level," Maddon said.

Price, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2007 draft out of Vanderbilt, already was USA Today's Minor League Player of the Year after a minor-league season that started at Class A Vero Beach.

He could make his first major-league start Tuesday at Baltimore.

"There's no telling what he can be, because you look at the radar gun and all that stuff and it's all wonderful, but the guy has a great makeup," Maddon said.

NOT SO EASY: Perez's excellent defensive work in center field is marred by one play - a catch he wasn't able to make on a deep shot to right-center by Joe Mauer during the Twins' five-run ninth inning Thursday night.

Perez said the ball hit the heel of his glove before he dropped it, but Upton said it would have been a tough catch.

"He didn't know where the wall was, and you can't take your eye off the ball in here because of the white ceiling," Upton said.

RAYS BITS: Sunday's game, the Rays' regular-season home finale, is sold out. A few thousand tickets remained for today's game, and given that the Rays could clinch a playoff berth, it's all but certain to sell out. ... With one win in their final two home games, the Rays would have the most home wins (66) since the 1998 Yankees. ... The first game of Tuesday's doubleheader at Baltimore will be carried by FSN Florida and the second will be on WXPX, Channel 66.

Tony Fabrizio

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