The surrogate
It begins with a woman who yearns for a baby and another who is willing and able to give her one. You can imagine the motives of the prospective parents. But what about the woman willing to carry a baby, give birth and then walk away?
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ST. PETERSBURG — Dioner Navarro was looking for a pitch to put into play. Jason Bartlett was looking down the third base line as the potential winning run. Carlos Pena was just happy to be on second base and Cliff Floyd just wanted it over so he could ice the lump on his shin.
Justin Masterson wanted a ground ball double play to end the threat. He was the only one who didn't get what he wanted.
Navarro's game-winning single to center over a shortened outfield finished a bizarre bottom of the ninth in a 2-1 win over Boston that helped the Rays retain first place in the AL East on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.
"A lot of things happen that lead to the run," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.
Bartlett led off, fisting an 0-and-2 fastball into right, and Pena walked. But it wasn't as simple as all that. Pena had swung through a pitch for an apparent 1-and-2 count, but time had been called because a ball rolled into the infield from the Red Sox bullpen.
"I was like, 'Thank the Looooord,' " Pena grinned. "It was cool. I was really happy with that. They got it right."
Francona knew it too.
"I hoped they didn't (see time being called)," he said.
Pena eventually walked. The inning stalled momentarily when Evan Longoria first attempted to bunt, then struck out looking. Things seemed to stall further when Floyd fell behind 0-and-2. But Masterson's third pitch knifed inside, hitting Floyd on the shin and sending him staggering down to first base.
"That's the big moment, getting hit there with two strikes," Rays manager Joe Maddon said.
Did Floyd's right leg feel any better after he moved the winning run to third base?
"No," he quipped. "It felt better when (Navarro) hit the ball over (centerfielder Coco Crisp's) head and the game was over."
Navarro made that happen methodically, working ahead 2-and-0, taking a strike and swinging through another before getting defensive. His hit marked the fourth time in the inning a Ray reached with two strikes.
"It was to my advantage that the first four pitches of the at-bat I saw almost everything he had," he said. "I got a ball I could put up the middle deep enough."
But it wasn't as simple as all that.
[Last modified: Sep 17, 2008 05:40 PM]
Comments on this article
by Felix
Sep 17, 2008 5:40 PM
Fred: Is not a mexican music !!! is MERENGUE !! from Dominican Republic !! The singer is Juan Luis Guerra , he just won 9 latin grammys
by kevin
Sep 17, 2008 4:50 PM
fred: I think they pick their own walk up music. On a side note there were still waaaay to many bosox fans there for my taste. At one point we had simultaneous lets go rays and lets go redsox chants going on. it was bad.
by Ron
Sep 17, 2008 4:35 PM
Fred, The players pick their own music. Nothing racist at all. Otherwise you can make a case for the Japanese Rock when Aki comes up or rap when BJ, Cliff and CC are up.
by Martin
Sep 17, 2008 4:29 PM
Hitters choose their own music to be played as they approach the plate I believe.
by fred
Sep 17, 2008 2:30 PM
Carlos Pena, the hero once again. Can't someone make them stop playing that "mexican" music when he comes up?. Kinda racist if you ask me.
by David
Sep 17, 2008 1:32 PM
Just like the Bucs, these guys are teaching the fans to love defense. Since when has a two to one baseball game had everyone locked in from beginnig to end? Go Rays.
by Gary
Sep 17, 2008 1:32 PM
You make it sound like the Rays "lucked" into the game winning run. How about the one run the sox scored. That was total luck, every ball hit pure luck. I'd say things evened out pretty much in that game.
by DavidNY
Sep 17, 2008 1:31 PM
While it worked out, I can't believe that Maddon didn't pinch run for Floyd. Boston being a double play away from getting out of it with a catchers speed at the plate; there was too much of a chance for that double play. Fortunately it worked out.
by Ian Morris
Sep 17, 2008 8:59 AM
So we didnt win tonight I will have to double check with MLB.com
Of course if you have your way we probabably didn't
Get a grip!!!!
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