Francisco Mejia’s pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning broke a 1-1 tie and allowed the Tampa Bay Rays to come out of Opening Day with the first victory of 2022, defeating the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 Friday at Tropicana Field.
The two sides had been even since the fifth when Dillon Tate began his second inning of relief by allowing a base hit to Wander Franco, his third hit of the afternoon. The Orioles then brought in Jorge Lopez, allowing Kevin Cash to go to his bench and bring in Ji-Man Choi to face Harold Ramirez. Choi drew a walk, and Randy Arozarena reached on an infield single to load the bases. Brandon Lowe’s ground ball forced Franco at the plate, but then Mejia came on for Mike Zunino, who had struck out in all three of his at-bats, and lifted a fly ball to center deep enough the score Choi and break the tie.
Baltimore had a change to take an early lead, loading the bases with one out in the top of the first against Tampa Bay starter Shane McClanahan, but the left-handed, making his first Opening Day start, struck out Anthony Santander and got Ramon Urias to fly to deep center to escape unscathed.
The Rays took the lead in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with singles from Yandy Diaz, Franco, and Arozarena, leading to Lowe bringing in the first run of the season with a sacrifice fly of his own.
McClanahan would work into the fifth inning, allowing four hits with no runs, walking a pair and striking out seven. JT Chargois would keep the Rays ahead through the fifth.
Baltimore’s only run came off the bat of Santander, who connected off Matt Wisler for his first home run of 2022, a blast to center to tie the game. Jeffrey Springs struck out the side in the seventh, and Andrew Kittredge (1-0) allowed a hit and a walk, but no runs to keep the game tied going into the bottom of the eighth.
J.P. Feyereisen got the first two outs in the top of the ninth, but gave up a base hit to pinch-hitter Rougned Odor, and Brooks Raley struck out Mullins to end the game and earn his first save as a member of the Rays.
Tampa Bay can earn a series win with a victory in Saturday’s middle game of the series, with Drew Rasmussen (4-0, 2.44 ERA with Rays in 2021) taking on Jordan Lyles (10-13, 5.15 ERA in 2021). First pitch is scheduled for 1:10.
Steve Carney is the founder and publisher of St. Pete Nine. One of the people most associated with baseball coverage in Tampa Bay, he spent 13 seasons covering the Rays for flagship radio station WDAE, first as producer of Rays Radio broadcasts, then as beat reporter beginning in 2011. He likes new analytics and aged bourbon, and is the owner of one of the ugliest knuckleballs ever witnessed by baseball scouts.
