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Moriarty9 · 02-27-2009, 04:55 PM

Devil Rays pound Colon, Tribe
Tampa Bay takes Game 1 of ALCS
October 13, 1999

CLEVELAND — A pair of five-run innings, coupled with strong pitching from Pedro Martinez, has given the Tampa Bay Devil Rays a 1-0 lead over the Indians in the American League Championship Series.

The Devil Rays jumped on Cleveland ace Bartolo Colon, winner of 19 games this season, with five runs in the first inning. After walks to Rickey Henderson and Carlos Beltran opened the inning, Paul Konerko got things started with a RBI single. Erubiel Durazo followed with a basehit to load the bases and Jose Hernandez, after a Raul Mondesi strikeout, hit a three-run double to right-centerfield. Hernandez then scored on a Charles Johnson single.

"You look at some of the matchups, some of the numbers, and the top of the lineup has had some decent success against Colon but he's also really done well against the bottom half of the lineup," said Tampa Bay manager Christian O'Neal. "We planned to be aggressive with him out there and hope to force some mistakes on their part. Fortunately for us, he dug himself a hole with two walks to start the game and we took advantage."

The Devil Rays scored five more in the seventh inning off relievers Bobby Howry, Steve Kline, and Mike Munoz. In that inning, Durazo hit a two-run shot off Howry, Johnson hit a two-run double off Kline, and Dave Berg knocked in a run with a two-out single. Tampa Bay added one more run in the eighth with a RBI single from Konerko, scoring Henderson.

"Our guys did a great job out there swinging the bats, getting on base, making it count," O'Neal said.

The pitching was equally impressive for the Devil Rays as Pedro Martinez worked seven shutout innings before heading to the clubhouse with a commanding 11-0 lead. Byung-Hyun Kim pitched the final two innings, giving up two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

"Pedro was Pedro," O'Neal said. "He kept them out of the game."

Martinez allowed six hits and no walks in his seven innings, striking out nine.

Tampa Bay will send Aaron Sele to the mound in Game 2 while Cleveland has announced David Wells will toe the rubber for the Indians.

Sele went 14-10 with a 4.54 ERA in 33 starts this season. He was hit for three runs in 5 1/3 innings by the Oakland Athletics in the American League Division Series. He struggled against Cleveland this year, going 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA in three starts.

Wells, a left-hander, went 11-8 with a 5.17 ERA in 33 starts for Cleveland. He is known as a big-game pitcher and held the New York Yankees to one run on nine hits and one walk in 7 1/3 innings in the ALDS. He went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts against Tampa Bay this season.

02-27-2009, 04:55 PM	#155 (permalink)
Moriarty9 All Star Starter Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,855 Thanks: 9 Thanked 3x in 3 posts	Devil Rays pound Colon, Tribe Tampa Bay takes Game 1 of ALCS October 13, 1999 CLEVELAND — A pair of five-run innings, coupled with strong pitching from Pedro Martinez, has given the Tampa Bay Devil Rays a 1-0 lead over the Indians in the American League Championship Series. The Devil Rays jumped on Cleveland ace Bartolo Colon, winner of 19 games this season, with five runs in the first inning. After walks to Rickey Henderson and Carlos Beltran opened the inning, Paul Konerko got things started with a RBI single. Erubiel Durazo followed with a basehit to load the bases and Jose Hernandez, after a Raul Mondesi strikeout, hit a three-run double to right-centerfield. Hernandez then scored on a Charles Johnson single. "You look at some of the matchups, some of the numbers, and the top of the lineup has had some decent success against Colon but he's also really done well against the bottom half of the lineup," said Tampa Bay manager Christian O'Neal. "We planned to be aggressive with him out there and hope to force some mistakes on their part. Fortunately for us, he dug himself a hole with two walks to start the game and we took advantage." The Devil Rays scored five more in the seventh inning off relievers Bobby Howry, Steve Kline, and Mike Munoz. In that inning, Durazo hit a two-run shot off Howry, Johnson hit a two-run double off Kline, and Dave Berg knocked in a run with a two-out single. Tampa Bay added one more run in the eighth with a RBI single from Konerko, scoring Henderson. "Our guys did a great job out there swinging the bats, getting on base, making it count," O'Neal said. The pitching was equally impressive for the Devil Rays as Pedro Martinez worked seven shutout innings before heading to the clubhouse with a commanding 11-0 lead. Byung-Hyun Kim pitched the final two innings, giving up two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. "Pedro was Pedro," O'Neal said. "He kept them out of the game." Martinez allowed six hits and no walks in his seven innings, striking out nine. Tampa Bay will send Aaron Sele to the mound in Game 2 while Cleveland has announced David Wells will toe the rubber for the Indians. Sele went 14-10 with a 4.54 ERA in 33 starts this season. He was hit for three runs in 5 1/3 innings by the Oakland Athletics in the American League Division Series. He struggled against Cleveland this year, going 0-3 with a 10.13 ERA in three starts. Wells, a left-hander, went 11-8 with a 5.17 ERA in 33 starts for Cleveland. He is known as a big-game pitcher and held the New York Yankees to one run on nine hits and one walk in 7 1/3 innings in the ALDS. He went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in two starts against Tampa Bay this season.