*Photo from the Los Angeles Times*
Tampa Bay leads series 1-0
For whatever reason, Randy Arozarena loves to play baseball in October. And he becomes really good at it too. Game one of the ALDS was just another on a long list of spectacular playoff performances for Arozarena. Arozarena homered, Nelson Cruz hit a towering homer, and the Tampa Bay Rays shut out the Boston Red Sox 5-0 on Thursday night.
Not only did Arozarena homer to continue his already long postseason home run list, but, he also pulled off something he was unable to do in multiple occasions in last year's world series, he was able to steal home. Zooming off 3rd base while Josh Taylor was getting set, the steal of home pretty much sealed off an already safe lead.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said of Arozarena that "The home run certainly felt that way. The steal of home, that was one of the cooler things I’ve seen on a baseball field. Special player. He certainly gets up for the moment. He has proven that day in and day out, and definitely when it’s postseason time. That’s how he plays. He busts it down the line, whether it’s a ground ball to short or whether it’s a ball in the gap. You're going to have to stop him."
In the first inning, the Rays pounced to a quick 2-0 lead, thanks to RBI singles from rookie Wander Franco and veteran Yandy Diaz, putting early pressure on Boston. In the 3rd inning, Cruz stepped up and blasted a solo homer, bouncing off the catwalk high above Tropicana Field, making it a 3-0 lead for the Rays. Then, Arozarena took over.
The game of Randy started in the 5th inning, when he annihilated a solo homer to deep left field, pretty much putting the game out of reach, as the Rays took a 4-0 lead off the home run. In the 7th, well, Arozarena stole home, making it a 5-0 lead for the boys from Tampa Bay, all but ending the game at that point.
Another Rays rookie, Shane McClanahan, got the win in the game one start, allowing 5 hits and walking no one, striking out 3 hitters in 5 shutout innings. McClanahan's performance was followed by strong relief appearances by JT Chargois, David Robertson, and JP Feyereisen, with Feyereisen closing the game with two shutout innings.
McClanahan was quick to talk about Arozarena however, saying that "I said it three times tonight: That’s got to be the Rookie of the Year. What that guy does every single day on a baseball field is so special, and I’m so lucky we have him on our team because I don’t want to face him."
Eduardo Rodriguez struggled in his start for the Red Sox, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks, lasting just 1 2/3 in his first playoff start since 2018, getting hit with the loss to fall to 0-1. Nick Pivetta ate innings, saving the bullpen as he threw 4 2/3 innings while allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and two walks. Garrett Richards, Taylor, and Adam Ottavino also pitched.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora wasn't rushing to panic mode after the game, saying in his press conference that "We're good. I loved the at-bats today. We put some pressure on them. They made some plays. We hit some balls hard, but we've got Chris, and he is ready to go. The bullpen is rested, so we should be OK."
Game two takes place on Friday night, where the Rays look to take a 2-0 advantage in the series before going to Boston, with Shane Baz getting the start. Chris Sale takes the mound for the Red Sox look to tie the series before coming back to Fenway Park.
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