Ah, Opening Day around baseball. It’s glorious. Probably should be a recognized national holiday.
It’s not. However, it is the start of a 162-game marathon for 30 teams with the Houston Astros looking to defend their first World Championship.
Thursday at 4 PM, however, the Rays and Red Sox would square off at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida to more than 30,000 fans ready for baseball to be back.
A classic pitching matchup saw Chris Sale for the Sox against Chris Archer for the Rays.
The first pitch of the 2018 season was a long fly to centerfield off the bat of Mookie Betts. Kevin Kiermaier started his defensive campaign off with a bang making a highlight-reel catch at the wall.
Boston strikes first
With two runners in scoring position and no outs in the second, Rafeal Devers grounded out to short to drive home the first run for Boston. For the second time in his career and both off the Rays, Eduardo Nunez hit an inside the park home run driving home two more.
Red Sox would lead 3-0 early.
Defense as advertised
After the Kiermaier catch to start the ballgame, Carlos Gomez would start the ‘ol 9-3 double play in the fifth inning and Daniel Robertson would flash some leather, himself in the sixth.
What a play! Gomez makes the catch in RF off the turf then guns down Bogaerts at first for the ‘ol 9-3 double play.
Defense helping their starter, again.#RedSox #Rays #BOSvsTB
— The Scrum Sports (@TheScrumSports) March 29, 2018
In the eighth inning, with Austin Pruitt in relief of Archer, Wilson Ramos took a ball in the dirt and gunned down Betts who was sleeping off first base.
Sale dominant
Sale dominated the Rays lineup. He left the game throwing 92 pitches in six innings of work. The Rays managed just one hit off him and struck out nine times. For what it’s worth – they did draw three free passes.
The comeback
Down 4-0 in the eighth inning and having just one hit in the ballgame, no one could have drawn up what happened next.
Bases loaded with one out. Rays have clawed back to within two thanks to RBIs from Matt Duffy (double) and Brad Miller (bases loaded BB). Local boy Denard Span to the plate against Red Sox reliever, Carson Smith. After fighting off a few pitches and running the count full, this happened:
FLIP IT.
Go-ahead triple for @thisisdspan!#RaysUp pic.twitter.com/Vsf781pPE1
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) March 29, 2018
“It’s a true blessing to be able to play in front of my family and friends and help this ball club win,” an understandably emotional Span said post-game. “Couldn’t ask for anything better than this, man.”
In his decade in MLB, Span says the post-game celebration was the best of any team he’s been on.
It was more than deserved for the hometown hero tonight.
Alex Colome would shut the door in the ninth for his first save of 2018.
NEXT UP
Tomorrow: LHP Blake Snell v LHP David Price @ 7:10 PM from Tropicana Field
