STREET. PETERSBURG, Florida. – Josh Lowe hit a three-run long ball and hit a heroic single in the ninth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 7-6 on Saturday.
The Rays recovered well after blowing a five-run lead starting in the sixth inning.
“Everyone knows that when it happens, the emotion goes down,” Rays player Yandy Díaz said. Afterwards we maintained a positive attitude and increased emotions. »
Rays prospect Junior Caminero debuted in the majors at age 20. He finished the game with one hit in four at-bats and one walk.
Caminero singled in the third inning in his first official at-bat. His walk came a little early in the game, in the first inning.
“It’s a dream come true,” Caminero said through a translator. It became real. »
Caminero wears number 1.
When asked the reason, the player responded with a smile on his face that it was “because I am number one.”
Diaz had four hits, while he, Lowe and Christian Bethancourt homered for the Rays (95-61), who ensured they finished at least first among American League draft teams.
The Rays began the day a game and a half behind the US East leaders, the Baltimore Orioles, who faced the Cleveland Guardians.
The Blue Jays (86-69) began the day in second place among selected teams in the United States, one game ahead of the Texas Rangers and a game and a half ahead of the Seattle Mariners.
Fortunately for the Blue Jays, the Mariners (84-70) and the Houston Astros (85-70) also lost on Saturday, meaning the Canadian troop retains its low priority among drafted teams.
With the Blue Jays trailing 6-5, Diaz doubled in the ninth inning. He advanced to third base on a single by Harold Ramirez and then scored on a single by Curtis Mead. Díaz, the American League’s second-best batting average, increased his average to .327.
The Blue Jays trailed 5-0 after four innings. However, they scored four runs in the sixth to get closer.
Diaz homered to give his team a lead and Lowe hit a three-run homer in a four-run first inning for the Rays against pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu. Bethancourt made it 5-0 with a long ball in the fourth inning.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider and an athletic therapist introduced themselves to reliever Jordan Romano during the ninth inning. Schneider said Romano broke a nail during the Blue Jays’ win on Friday.
“We knew the situation,” Schneider said. We just wanted to make sure it was correct. He was looking at his nail, but I don’t think it affected him physically. He said he could pitch. »
With a crowd of 22,655 fans for the game, the Rays reached 1.4 million viewers for the first time since the 2014 season.
