The Tampa Bay Rays displayed the grit that has carried them so far this season, beating the Phildelphia Phillies 4-2 on Thursday to square the World Series 1-1.
Whether behind in games or series, all season the Rays had shown the capacity to come from behind. And their win on Thursday showed they could become the first team since 2002 to lose the opening game of the World Series and come back to win Major League Baseball’s decider.
Starting pitcher James Shields kept Philadelphia scoreless during his stint on the mound, and then rookie reliever David Price got the final seven outs, giving the Rays their first ever World Series win and putting the teams level as they fly to Pennsylvania for Game 3 today.
Tampa Bay never really ignited, but neither did the Phillies, who fell to 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position over the two games.
“That might be one of our sloppiest games all year,” Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. “I’m concerned about us hitting with guys on base, because it looks like at times we might be trying a little too hard. But we can fix that.”
Rain is forecast for today’s game, in which Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza is scheduled to pitch against 45-year-old Jamie Moyer, making his World Series debut.
Philadelphia threatened a comeback in the last three innings, but it never quite eventuated.
With Tampa Bay up 4-0, the 23-year-old Price came on to pitch with two outs in seventh, but walked his first batter to put two men on base. Powerful slugger Ryan Howard was next at bat but Price struck him out to end the inning.
The hard-throwing lefty gave up a homer to pinch-hitter Eric Bruntlett in the eighth to make it 4-1.
Philadelphia catcher Carloz Ruiz led off the ninth with a double, and then a pitch from Price appeared to graze the jersey of Jimmy Rollins. It was not called as a hit batter, and a frustrated Rollins soon popped out for the first out.
Ruiz scored when Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria committed an error on a ground ball, making it 4-2. Price steadied to strike out Chase Utley and then got Howard to ground out, ending the game.
“I was nervous — very,” Price said. “I usually don’t even sweat out there and my hat looks like I went swimming with it.”
Price gave up only half the four-run lead he was gifted by Shields.
Shields usually flourishes at home, where he was 9-2 with a 2.59 ERA during the season. All four of his postseason starts have come at Tropicana Field, including a win over the Chicago White Sox in Tampa Bay’s first playoff game and two tough losses to Boston in the American League Championship Series.
“You feel pretty comfortable when he goes out there under those circumstances,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “We’re starting to play our first big games now, and he’s pitching the same now as when the big game was trying to prevent somebody else from getting to the playoffs.”
A 14-game winner during the season, Shields looked surprised when he was pulled in the sixth inning after 104 pitches. He doffed his cap to the crowd, and middle reliever Dan Wheeler then closed the inning by forcing a ground out with runners at the corners.
Philadelphia’s lone hit with runners in scoring position was Shane Victorino’s infield single in the fourth, and that didn’t even produce a run.
The Phillies had a chance to rally in the fifth after putting two on with one out. Utley hit a looping shot to right that was caught on the run by outfielder Rocco Baldelli, who fired a throw to first where Jayson Werth could not scramble back to base and was tagged out for an inning-ending double play.
Back from two seasons derailed by injuries and a mitochondrial disorder, a condition that slows muscle recovery and causes extreme fatigue, Baldelli also was involved on a confusing call in the second inning that helped Tampa Bay make it 3-0.
He checked his swing on a full-count pitch and the plate umpire immediately raised his right arm as if to call strike three. But then he pointed to first base for an appeal, where the first-base umpire signaled it was a check swing and called it ball four and a walk.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Tampa Bay’s B.J. Upton hit an RBI single to right. Werth made a strong throw to home plate where Baldelli crashed into Ruiz but couldn’t dislodge the ball.
In the fourth inning, Rays shortstop Jason Bartlett, the No. 9 hitter, drove in a run with a safety squeeze — one pitch after fouling off a suicide squeeze attempt.
Phillies starting pitcher Brett Myers, demoted to the minor leagues in July, was in trouble from the start.
He issued a leadoff walk to Akinori Iwamura in the first inning before Upton sliced an opposite-field single to rightfield. Werth misfielded for a key error that gave both runners an extra base.
Carlos Pena then drove in a run with a groundout and the Phillies kept their infield back for Longoria, who made it 2-0 with another grounder.
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