Tampa Bay Rays climb back up to a 1/2 game deficit as they crush the Yankees 10 – 3 (Part 1)
The American League is almost coming to an end and teams all over the country are trying to slip back up on their respective rankings. Of all three League regions, the East Division is proving to be the most exciting place to be in.
The title race is coming to a close and with just two divisions lying in the indecision realm, the east coast proves to be the most volatile sector in Major League Baseball. The New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays have been on the prowl to control the
top position in the table and capitalise on that advantage. Till date, there has been no reasonable space between the two ball clubs to predict a winner and when the game between the two concluded on Tuesday, many felt the winner of the league was going to
be decided.
However, what fans and analysts didn’t know was that the series was not over yet, as there were still two games remaining. Much to the surprise of the 47,646 strong fans at the Yankee Stadium, the team facing a possible league loss came back up on Wednesday
to save the series 1 – 2. Yesterday provided that club with a chance to negate the two losses and force a draw as the teams clashed for the fourth and final time in the season.
The Rays were 2 – 0 down in the series after their second loss to the Yankees on Tuesday night. They became the underdogs with a slender deficit of 2
1/2 game wins. With 11 fixtures still to go, critics called the consecutive losses a harsh realization for Tampa Bay as they saw a very low chance for the team to gain any momentum in their chase for the East title. Wednesday proved to
be a focal point for that recollection and the losing side from the previous nights climbed back into the contest with a dominating win over the Yankees.
The last game provided a chance for the side to accomplish a second win and square the series. That is exactly what happened when the two ball clubs met again in the Yankee stadium for the finale. Tampa Bay pressed on with pitcher David Price who outclassed
the opposition with his ball throwing ability. The 25-year-old had won 17 games going into the fixture and this match gave him a boast when he gave the Yanks a hard time in the strike zone. The ace man walked away with an Earning Run Average (ERA) of 2.84
and gave his team the necessary hope they needed to keep believing in the title brace.
The victory got Price to a 2nd ranking position on the American League pitcher’s list. His win over the maestro, Carsten Charles Sabathia ensured he kept his chances high on attaining the Cy Young award high. Till the 6th innings, David
looked to be on the losing end of the park. The Yankees were leading Tampa Bay 3 – 1 and that may have demoralized any pitcher on the mound. However, Price had a distinctive quality to guide him to his goal and that was persistence.
Price persevered and he finally got the cover he needed when the Rays stole the show in the top 6th inning to lead the team to a new 8 – 3 lead. One might call it fate, but to be fair, the starting pitcher got the job done as he maintained a clean
streak in the bottom 6th to end his performance in the game. He allowed just 8 hits and 3 runs, while striking out 7 hitters in his 6 innings.
Compared to Price, Carsten Charles Sabathia performed well till the sixth inning. The top 6th, however, brought on 7 runs from 10 hits for the living legend and it took the game to a whole new horizon. The 30-year-old with 20 wins and 7 losses,
was always going to be under the microscope but his lacklustre display meant he was not going to accomplish the league’s first ever 21 wins for the season.
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