Defensive miscues doom Rays in Game 1 loss to Rangers
The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of baseball's best defensive teams for years. You wouldn't have known it from their first playoff game.
Tampa Bay committed four errors in the first six innings of their 4-0 loss to the Texas Rangers, the first game of the American League wild-card Series.
ESPN broadcaster Sean McDonough said, "It could have been more than that," considering a few outfield bobbles weren't called errors, and Evan Carter got a double on a hit that went off first baseman Yandy Diaz's glove.
Tampa Bay allowed a run when Tyler Glasnow threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, a pitch that catcher Rene Pinto probably should have caught.
Two more runs scored when center fielder Jose Siri mishandled a Corey Seager single and then sailed his throw to third into the Rangers dugout. It's a testament to Tampa Bay's pitchers that Texas scored only four runs after all the defensive gifts.
Texas committed one error of their own, but on a day when starter Jordan Montgomery was dealing, throwing seven shutout innings and giving up just one hit, it didn't matter.
Tampa Bay broke the franchise record for errors in a single playoff game Tuesday. They also committed more errors than they had in any single game in 2023, their previous high being three.
The Rays will try to stay alive Wednesday in Game 2, but after dropping first game, there's no more margin for error. Or errors.
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