| Scoreboard | ||||||||||||||
| Final 11th | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
| Texas (82-56) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Tampa Bay (76-62) « | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- In another time or situation, Ben Zobrist might have dropped down a bunt.
Instead manager Joe Maddon told the Rays shortstop to swing away, and Zobrist delivered a two-run walk-off home run in the 11th inning of Tampa Bay's 3-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Friday night.
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"I've never had a walk-off home run before in my life, regardless of whether it was Little League or high school or college," Zobrist said. "I thought about if it was ever going to happen, but when you're in the moment you just try to have a good, quality at bat."
Zobrist's 16th homer came off Mark Lowe (0-1) after a leadoff walk to B.J. Upton.
Maddon reminded Zobrist not to bunt because with Upton on second base, the Rangers probably would have walked Evan Longoria, the Rays' next hitter.
"If [Upton] stole a bag, then I would have [bunted]," Zobrist said.
For Zobrist, the home run was a perfect finish to a night that started with his wife, Julianna, singing the national anthem.
"That may be the first time in Major League Baseball history that happens, where the wife sings the national anthem and the husband hits a walk-off homer," Maddon observed. "Maybe Honus Wagner and his wife, back in the day. Whenever amplification came on board, you'd have to check that out."
Wade Davis (3-0) got the win after striking out five of the six hitters he faced in the 10th and 11th innings.
The Rays' fifth win in six games featured a total of 29 strikeouts after a duel between starting pitchers Derek Holland of the Rangers and the Rays' Jeremy Hellickson.
Holland struck out a career-high 11 while giving up only two hits and two walks in eight innings. He threw a season-high 116 pitches, retiring five Rays in a span of seven pitches at one point.
Longoria's fourth-inning homer, his 11th, was the first hit off Holland, who was trying to win a fourth straight start for the first time in his career.
"I'm definitely pleased, but at the same time I'm pretty upset," Holland said. "A win is what we really want."
It was the second straight extra-inning game for the Rangers, who arrived at their hotel at 4:40 a.m., Friday after a 5-4, 10-inning win at Kansas City on Thursday night.
Hellickson pitched six innings, giving up four hits including a home run to Michael Young in the fifth inning. It was Young's seventh home run and his third in the last five days.
David Murphy walked after Young's homer, and then Hellickson and four relievers retired the next 17 Rangers in order. The Rays bullpen gave up one single in five innings.
"The fifth inning was a little long," Hellickson said. "I could have gone back out, but with the bullpen we have, there was no reason not to go to them. I mean, they've been doing that all season."
Notes
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| Ben Zobrist's home run in the bottom of the 11th inning lifts the Rays over the Rangers for their fifth win in six games. (US Presswire) |
| Players of the Game |
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| Texas Rangers | ||||||||
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Ian Kinsler, 2B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .267 |
| Elvis Andrus, SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .296 |
| Josh Hamilton, CF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .289 |
| Adrian Beltre, 3B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .319 |
| Nelson Cruz, RF | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .258 |
| Michael Young, DH | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .269 |
| David Murphy, LF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .316 |
| Mitch Moreland, 1B | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .285 |
| Luis Martinez, C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .111 |
| a- Jurickson Profar, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .400 |
| Geovany Soto, C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .207 |
| Totals | 35 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 13 | ||
| a-struck out for Martinez in the 11th | ||||||||
| Batting | ||||||||
| HR - Michael Young (7, Hellickson) | ||||||||
| RBI - Michael Young (59) | ||||||||
| CS - David Murphy (4, 2nd base by Davis/Molina) | ||||||||
| Team LOB - 2 | ||||||||
| Texas Rangers | ||||||||
| Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Derek Holland | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 4.59 |
| Koji Uehara | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2.42 |
| Michael Kirkman | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3.73 |
| Tanner Scheppers | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.13 |
| Mark Lowe (L,0-1) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.61 |
| Pitches-Strikes - Derek Holland 116-82, Koji Uehara 14-8, Michael Kirkman 23-14, Tanner Scheppers 4-2, Mark Lowe 11-5 | ||||||||
| Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Derek Holland 6-7 | ||||||||
| Batters Faced - Derek Holland 28, Koji Uehara 3, Michael Kirkman 5, Tanner Scheppers 1, Mark Lowe 2 | ||||||||
| Tampa Bay Rays | ||||||||
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | LOB | AVG |
| Desmond Jennings, LF | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .252 |
| B.J. Upton, CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | .252 |
| Ben Zobrist, SS | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | .266 |
| Evan Longoria, 3B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .290 |
| Jeff Keppinger, 1B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .324 |
| Carlos Pena, 1B | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .190 |
| Ben Francisco, DH-RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .247 |
| Ryan Roberts, 2B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .239 |
| Chris Gimenez, C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .216 |
| Rich Thompson, PR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .105 |
| Jose Molina, C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .206 |
| Sam Fuld, RF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .299 |
| a- Elliot Johnson, PH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .242 |
| Totals | 35 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 16 | ||
| a-struck out for Fuld in the 10th | ||||||||
| Batting | ||||||||
| HR - Ben Zobrist (16, Lowe), Evan Longoria (11, Holland) | ||||||||
| RBI - Ben Zobrist 2 (60), Evan Longoria (40) | ||||||||
| 2-OUT RBI - Evan Longoria (21) | ||||||||
| SB - B.J. Upton (28, 2nd base off Holland/Martinez) | ||||||||
| Team LOB - 6 | ||||||||
| Fielding | ||||||||
| DP - Zobrist-Roberts-Keppinger, Roberts-Zobrist-Keppinger | ||||||||
| Tampa Bay Rays | ||||||||
| Pitchers | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA |
| Jeremy Hellickson | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3.33 |
| Kyle Farnsworth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.49 |
| Joel Peralta | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.63 |
| Fernando Rodney | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.70 |
| Wade Davis (W,3-0) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2.21 |
| Pitches-Strikes - Jeremy Hellickson 95-63, Kyle Farnsworth 7-7, Joel Peralta 11-9, Fernando Rodney 14-10, Wade Davis 31-20 | ||||||||
| Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Jeremy Hellickson 5-6, Kyle Farnsworth 3-0, Fernando Rodney 2-0 | ||||||||
| Batters Faced - Jeremy Hellickson 21, Kyle Farnsworth 3, Joel Peralta 3, Fernando Rodney 3, Wade Davis 6 | ||||||||
| Game Information |
| Attendance - 19545 |
| Game Time - 3:32 |
| Temperature - 72 |
| Umpires - Home - Bill Miller, First Base - Mike Estabrook, Second Base - Larry Vanover, Third Base - Jerry Layne |
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