Toronto Blue Jays Rally Past Tampa Bay After 3-run triple

The Toronto Blue Jays may not be going to the playoffs, but that hasn’t stopped the push to improve their season, and for Jon Berti, it proved to be a milestone as the Blue Jays defeated the Rays 7-6.

The Blue Jays were down and were facing another loss when Berti came to the plate. With two runners on base, Berti hit a grounder up the middle that saw Kevin Smith and Jose Alvarado both earning runs to tie the game.

After being in the minors for eight years, yesterday was Berti’s second major league game. Berti got called on Tuesday and played his first major league game on Wednesday. For Berti, the last few days have been whirlwind. Commenting, he said,

“I was sitting in a parking lot in my car and got the phone call, said I might be coming up the next day. I got home as soon as I could and told my parents.”

Berti’s parents made the drive from Michigan to watch their son earn his first two runs in the majors after his double in the sixth inning. Berti played 789 games in the minors, and after eight years, it was looking like he might never get that call. Speaking about the move to the majors, Berti said,

“The Blue Jays have embraced me, which has eased the anxiety a little bit, just allowing me to play my game. Anytime you can drive in a few runners to help this team win, it feels good.”

The top of the seventh, with Rowdy Tellez and Teoscar Hernandez, Randal Grichuk sent the ball deep to right field in what saw Hernandez and Grichuk both scoring and Grichuk getting to third to give the Blue Jays a 7-5 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.

No, @RGrich15 didn’t start this game.

But he DEFINITELY added the finishing touch. #Clutch pic.twitter.com/VdDJ9SiW9m

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) September 29, 2018

Tampa Bay’s Adam Moore earned his first home last night to close the gap in the eighth, but it was not enough as the Jays held off the Rays to earn the win. Also scoring for Tampa Bay was Mallex Smith, Tommy Pham, Joey Wendle, Willy Adames and Adam Moore.

Wendle hit a double in the first inning, and Smith a triple. Starting pitcher for the Jays, Thomas Pannone walked Tommy Pham to increase his streak of making it to base to thirty games. Smith scored a second time for the Rays. It was the 31st time that Tampa has lost a game this season by one run.

Kevin Cash, manager of the Tampa Bay Rays, commented on the game saying,

“We just didn’t really that perform well tonight. It kind of carries in from yesterday into today. We couldn’t keep them off base.”

Starting pitcher for the Rays, Tyler Glasnow gave up seven hits and three walks. He gave up his first in the second inning to Hernandez, his second to Tellez in the sixth and his third to Berti in the seventh.

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