Baseball Guru
03-31-2003, 09:31 PM
By FRED GOODALL, AP Sports Writer
March 31, 2003
AP - Mar 31, 8:22 EST
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Carl Crawford hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday, giving new manager Lou Piniella and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
The Devil Rays rallied for five runs in the ninth against the revamped Boston bullpen, ruining another strong opening-day start by Pedro Martinez.
Pinch-hitter Terry Shumpert had a two-run homer off Alan Embree, and Crawford hit his shot off loser Chad Fox.
Limited to just an unearned run and three hits by Martinez in the first seven innings, the young team with baseball's lowest payroll wouldn't quit.
The Red Sox are going with a closer-by-committee approach this season. The relievers are off to an inauspicious start.
Shumpert homered in his first at-bat with the Devil Rays. After a single by Ben Grieve and a walk to pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson, Crawford fouled off two 0-2 pitches, took a ball and then brought a crowd of 34,391 to its feet with his game-winning drive over the right-center wall.
Piniella led his players out of the dugout to celebrate.
Rookie Seth McClung pitched two scoreless innings for his first major league win as the Devil Rays snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field.
Shea Hillenbrand drove in two runs off Devil Rays starter Joe Kennedy with a bases-loaded double in the first inning and finished with three RBIs.
Martinez, who struck out six, walked one and hit two batters, left with a 4-1 lead. Ramiro Mendoza pitched a perfect eighth for Boston, but Embree and Fox couldn't finish off the weak-hitting Devil Rays, who got four of their seven hits in their final at-bat.
The Red Sox looked like they had given Martinez all the offensive support he needed in the first with help from fielding errors by Devil Rays second baseman Brent Abernathy and third baseman Aubrey Huff, whose mistake allowed the first run to score.
Hillenbrand doubled just beyond Grieve's reach in right-center to drive in two more for a 3-0 lead. He came up with the bases loaded again in the fifth and grounded to second to drive in his third run of the night.
Martinez lost his shutout bid in the seventh on third baseman Hillenbrand made a throwing error that allowed a run to score.
Kennedy settled down after a shaky first that mirrored his last three spring training starts. The 22-year-old left-hander allowed four runs, one earned, andeight hits in seven innings.
Notes
Martinez remained 10-0 against teams manager by Piniella. The right-hander is 3-0 in six opening-day starts for Boston. ... Tampa Bay's 0-10 record at Tropicana Field against the Red Sox last year was the worst home record for any team against one opponent since the 1954 Red Sox went 0-11 against the Cleveland Indians. ... The Devil Rays play 13 of their first 16 games against the Red Sox and New York Yankees. ... The March 31 season openerwas the earliest ever for the Red Sox, who began their 103rd season.
March 31, 2003
AP - Mar 31, 8:22 EST
More Photos
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Carl Crawford hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday, giving new manager Lou Piniella and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays a 6-4 victory over the Boston Red Sox.
The Devil Rays rallied for five runs in the ninth against the revamped Boston bullpen, ruining another strong opening-day start by Pedro Martinez.
Pinch-hitter Terry Shumpert had a two-run homer off Alan Embree, and Crawford hit his shot off loser Chad Fox.
Limited to just an unearned run and three hits by Martinez in the first seven innings, the young team with baseball's lowest payroll wouldn't quit.
The Red Sox are going with a closer-by-committee approach this season. The relievers are off to an inauspicious start.
Shumpert homered in his first at-bat with the Devil Rays. After a single by Ben Grieve and a walk to pinch-hitter Marlon Anderson, Crawford fouled off two 0-2 pitches, took a ball and then brought a crowd of 34,391 to its feet with his game-winning drive over the right-center wall.
Piniella led his players out of the dugout to celebrate.
Rookie Seth McClung pitched two scoreless innings for his first major league win as the Devil Rays snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field.
Shea Hillenbrand drove in two runs off Devil Rays starter Joe Kennedy with a bases-loaded double in the first inning and finished with three RBIs.
Martinez, who struck out six, walked one and hit two batters, left with a 4-1 lead. Ramiro Mendoza pitched a perfect eighth for Boston, but Embree and Fox couldn't finish off the weak-hitting Devil Rays, who got four of their seven hits in their final at-bat.
The Red Sox looked like they had given Martinez all the offensive support he needed in the first with help from fielding errors by Devil Rays second baseman Brent Abernathy and third baseman Aubrey Huff, whose mistake allowed the first run to score.
Hillenbrand doubled just beyond Grieve's reach in right-center to drive in two more for a 3-0 lead. He came up with the bases loaded again in the fifth and grounded to second to drive in his third run of the night.
Martinez lost his shutout bid in the seventh on third baseman Hillenbrand made a throwing error that allowed a run to score.
Kennedy settled down after a shaky first that mirrored his last three spring training starts. The 22-year-old left-hander allowed four runs, one earned, andeight hits in seven innings.
Notes
Martinez remained 10-0 against teams manager by Piniella. The right-hander is 3-0 in six opening-day starts for Boston. ... Tampa Bay's 0-10 record at Tropicana Field against the Red Sox last year was the worst home record for any team against one opponent since the 1954 Red Sox went 0-11 against the Cleveland Indians. ... The Devil Rays play 13 of their first 16 games against the Red Sox and New York Yankees. ... The March 31 season openerwas the earliest ever for the Red Sox, who began their 103rd season.