Expansion Revision: 1998 Devil Rays and beyond

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Division Series Preview
Mariners, Devil Rays to square off
October 1, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The American League Division Series kicks off tonight at Tropicana Field as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays host the Seattle Mariners.

Pedro Martinez, 18-5 with a 2.13 ERA, will take the mound for the Devil Rays tonight against Seattle's "Big Unit," Randy Johnson.

Martinez faced the Mariners only once this season, throwing a complete game four-hit shutout in April, striking out 12 Seattle hitters. The expected starting lineup has a .170 batting average against Martinez in their respective careers. Leftfielder Matt Lawton has a .308 average in 13 career at bats against Martinez, while Troy Glaus and Chris Richard each have a .250 career clip against the Devil Rays ace. The majority of the Seattle hitters, however, have little success against Martinez. Alex Rodriguez has three hits in 23 at bats, Jay Gibbons is 0-for-12, Jeff Kent is a career .167 hitter in 30 at bats against Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr. is at .235, catcher Josh Bard has one hit in 11 at bats, and Bubba Trammell is 1-for-13 against him.

Martinez has also been a clutch playoff performer. In his six post-season starts, he is 5-1 with a 1.36 ERA, holding opponents to 34 hits and nine walks in 46 1/3 innings while striking out 55.

Johnson, 16-13 with a 3.85 ERA and 274 strikeouts this year, made two starts against the Devil Rays this year. In 14 innings, he allowed two runs on seven hits and six walks, striking out 17 batters.

The top of Tampa Bay's lineup has struggled against Johnson. Leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins is 0-for-6 against the Big Unit while centerfielder Carlos Beltran is hitless in 22 at bats against the lefty. Somewhat surprisingly, left-handed hitters Aubrey Huff (5-for-9) and Adam Kennedy (2-for-5) have had some success against Johnson. Overall, the Devil Rays lineup for Game 1 has hit just .195 against the Big Unit.

"They've got a really good pitcher over there, one who has had success against us in the past," said Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal. "But we've got the guy who has been lights out almost every time out there, so we're pretty confident in our chances."

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Pedro, Devil Rays take Game 1
Tampa Bay leads Seattle 1-0 in ALDS
October 1, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pedro Martinez and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays took Game 1 of the American League Division Series tonight with a 5-2 win over the Seattle Mariners.

Martinez held Seattle to two runs on four hits and two walks in seven innings, striking out seven.

"We got an early run off him but we never got it going again," said Seattle skipper. "We'll go out and even things up tomorrow night."

The Mariners took the lead in the top of the first inning when Troy Glaus hit a single up the middle with two outs, allowing Josh Bard to score from secondbase.

The Devil Rays took the lead in the fourth inning with a Garret Anderson two-run home run off Seattle starter Randy Johnson, making it 2-1 Tampa Bay.

Seattle threatened in the sixth inning, loading the bases with no outs. After a walk and two singles, Martinez found himself in trouble as Jay Gibbons came to the plate. After Gibbons worked the count full, Martinez blew a high fastball by him for strike three and the first out of the inning. Glaus hit a pop-up in foul territory that was caught with ease by firstbaseman Paul Konerko, and Martinez got out of the jam by inducing a one-hopper back to the mound by Jeff Kent to leave with the lead in tact.

"Pedro showed what he's all about right there," said Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal. "Most guys get in a jam like that and they're happy to get out of it by giving up one or two runs. Not Pedro. He's not happy unless he gets out of it with no damage."

Martinez entered the seventh inning with 102 pitches under his belt but quickly retired the first two batters before surrendering a solo home run to centerfield by Bubba Trammell to tie the game.

The Devil Rays would immediately regain the lead, striking back for three runs in the bottom of the inning. Konerko led off the inning with a walk from Johnson, followed by three consecutive singles off reliever Mike Buddie by Charles Johnson, Wilton Guerrero, and Adam Kennedy. Jimmy Rollins drew a bases loaded walk from Buddie, making it 4-2. After Carlos Beltran took a called third strike, Aubrey Huff closed the book on Buddie with a RBI single past the diving Richard at firstbase.

Jack Cressend and Benj Sampson combined for a 1-2-3 inning in the eighth before handing the ball over to closer Matt Anderson, who allowed the tying run to come to the plate but closed out the game with a scoreless ninth inning.

The Devil Rays will look to a 2-0 lead tomorrow night when Roy Halladay (19-2, 2.71 ERA) takes the mound against Seattle's sinkerball specialist Derek Lowe (14-12, 4.36 ERA).

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Bullpen nearly blows game
Mariners rally late, but Devil Rays hold on
October 2, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Roy Halladay left tonight's game with a five-run lead heading into the ninth inning, and watched in the dugout as the bullpen allowed the tying run to reach second base.

Working with a 6-1 lead, Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal relieved Halladay, bringing in left-hander Gabe White to face switch-hitter Josh Bard and left-handed hitter Jay Gibbons. Bard grounded out to shortstop for a routine first out, but Gibbons made it interesting with a solo home run to deep rightfield, nearly a 400-foot shot, making it 6-2.

Kyle Farnsworth came on but fared no better, giving up a solo homer to Troy Glaus and a bloop single to Jeff Kent. O'Neal brought in another lefty, Benj Sampson, who struck-out pinch hitter Brian Hunter but then surrendered a RBI double to pinch hitter Ron Coomer and another RBI double to Bubba Trammell. With the tying run on secondbase in Trammell, two outs, left-handed hitting Chris Richard up, and Alex Rodriguez on deck, O'Neal left Sampson in the game. The lefty responded by getting Richard to hit a pop-up to shallow centerfield, tracked down by Carlos Beltran for the final out of the game.

"It got a little hairy out there at the end, but that happens," said O'Neal. "We hung tough, didn't panic, and did the job we needed to do out there."

With the win, the Devil Rays now have a 2-0 lead in the American League Division Series. The teams will travel to Seattle tomorrow and will play Game 3 on Friday. Barry Zito (15-6 with a 2.96 ERA) will take the mound for Tampa Bay in hopes of advancing to the ALCS, while Matt Clement (15-10, 4.32 ERA) works to keep the Mariners alive in the best-of-five series.

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Clement holds down Rays
Tampa Bay strands tying run on third
October 4, 2002

SEATTLE — The Mariners are alive.

In Game 3 of the American League Division Series, the Seattle Mariners staved off elimination with a 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays behind the pitching of Matt Clement. Clement held Tampa Bay to two runs on five hits and no walks, striking out eight in eight innings.

John Riedling closed out the game for the Mariners, but not without a little nervousness. Riedling walked Carlos Beltran on four pitches to start the ninth, but rebounded by getting Aubrey Huff to hit a groundball and reach on a fielder's choice. Scott Rolen singled and Garret Anderson walked on four pitches to load the bases with just one out and the tying run on second base, the go-ahead run on first base. Erubiel Durazo came up and hit a grounder to secondbase but hustled down the line to avoid the double play. Huff scored from third on the grounder wihle Rolen moved to third base, bringing the tying run 90 feet away from home plate. Mike Lamb threatened to give Tampa Bay the lead with a drive to deep right-centerfield but rightfielder Jay Gibbons just barely caught up to the ball on the warning track to make an impressive one-handed catch on the run to secure the victory.

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Devil Rays advance to ALCS
Mulder shines as Tampa Bay tops Mariners
October 5, 2002

SEATTLE — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays are one step closer to winning the pennant after defeating the Seattle Mariners in Game 4 of the American League Division Series.

Mark Mulder held the Mariners lineup to two runs on four hits and one walk over eight innings of work, leaving the game with a 5-2 lead as closer Matt Anderson took the mound to close out the ballgame.

Anderson struggled in the bottom of the ninth as Seattle fought to stay alive. Troy Glaus greeted Anderson with a solo home run, making it a two-run game. The closer responded by retiring the next two batters before walking Ken Griffey, Jr. with two outs. Josh Bard hit an infield single and pinch-hitter Chris Richard drew a walk to load the bases. Brian Hunter drew a walk, pushing Griffey across the plate and putting the tying run on third base with the winning run on second base. Jeff Kent hit a hard groundball to shortstop Jimmy Rollins, which was snagged and thrown to firstbaseman Paul Konerko to end the game and the series.

The Devil Rays will take on the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

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Game 1 of the American League Championship Series ... coming up next!

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Pedro dominates in Game 1
Pettitte not so lucky as Yanks drop opener
October 7, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— Pedro Martinez held the New York Yankees to two hits over eight innings as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays took Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

Martinez allowed one run on two hits and one walk over eight innings, striking out 12 New York batters before left-hander Gabe White worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to close out the 5-1 victory.

Wilkerson got the first Yankees hit of the game, hitting a leadoff triple to rightfield in the fourth inning. He then scored on a Marlon Anderson groundout. New York catcher Damian Miller had the other Yankees hit, reaching on an infield single to thirdbaseman Scott Rolen.

The Devil Rays took advantage of their opportunities, scoring five runs on seven hits. Yankees starter Andy Pettitte was charged for five runs on six hits and three walks over four innings of work. Reliever Ryan Wagner shut down the Tampa Bay lineup out of the bullpen, working three no-hit hittings.

Aubrey Huff hit a solo home run to rightfield off Pettitte and also had a RBI single. Adam Kennedy scored twice, while Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Beltran, and Scott Rolen each picked up a RBI.

Game 2 will be played at Tropicana Field tomorrow night. The Devil Rays will send Roy Halladay to the mound against Hideo Nomo.

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Nomo tough-luck Game 2 loser
Yankees hurler loses no-hit bid in seventh inning
October 8, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— It was a fine pitchers' duel between Roy Halladay and Hideo Nomo, and although he gave up just two hits, it was Nomo that was tagged with the loss.

Nomo cruised through the first six innings of the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays matchup in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. The only baserunner for the Devil Rays to that point was Jimmy Rollins, who drew a 3-2 walk in the fourth inning only to be quickly nabbed trying to steal second base.

Halladay had let a handful of baserunners reach base, but entering the seventh, both teams had yet to score a run. In the top of the seventh, Yankees centerfielder Rocco Baldelli opened the inning with a single to rightfield that was misplayed by Wilton Guerrero in rightfield, allowing Baldelli to advance to secondbase. Paul O'Neill followed with an infield single to secondbase, putting men on the corners with nobody out. Halladay was able to induce a routine grounder to Kennedy for a 4-6-3 double play, but it allowed Baldelli to score from thirdbase and give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Working with the lead for the first time, and still working on a no-hitter, Nomo took the mound for the bottom of the seventh with the top of the Tampa Bay lineup due. Rollins, who had earlier ended Nomo's perfect game bid, ended the hurler's bids for a no-hitter and a shutout by hitting a 372-foot home run to rightfield, tying the game.

Carlos Beltran drew a walk and advanced to thirdbase on an Aubrey Huff double down the firstbase line. With nobody out and firstbase open, Nomo intentionally walked Scott Rolen. Garret Anderson followed with a one-hopper back to the mound, allowing Nomo to throw home for the forceout and keep the run from scoring. Nomo was not so lucky with Paul Konerko, however, as the firstbaseman hit a sacrifice fly to rightfield allowing Huff to score the go-ahead run.

Nomo's pitching line would show two runs on two hits and three walks with five strikeouts in eight innings. Halladay allowed one run on six hits and one walk, striking out six, in 7 1/3 innings. Benj Sampson, Jack Cressend, Gabe White, and Matt Anderson worked the final 1 2/3 innings, giving up a combined one hit and one walk in that time.

The Devil Rays won Game 2 by a 2-1 score and now hold a 2-0 advantage over the Yankees in the best-of-seven League Championship Series. The teams will travel to the Bronx tomorrow and will play Game 3 at Yankee Stadium on Thursday. Kenny Rogers will get the start for New York while Barry Zito toes the slab for Tampa Bay.

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Zito spins two-hit shutout gem
Yankees lineup ineffective against left-hander
October 10, 2002

BRONX— Barry Zito took a perfect game into the sixth inning but had to settle for a two-hit complete game shutout over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

"He really stepped up and pitched a hell of a ballgame," said Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal. "The kid flat-out pitched his heart out tonight."

Zito had retired the side in order every inning through the fifth inning, but gave up a leadoff double to Damian Miller in the sixth inning. Paul O'Neill would later add a single while Miller and Cole Liniak each drew a walk. Zito threw 117 pitches, striking out seven Yankee hitters, while allowing two hits and two walks in nine innings.

"We couldn't have asked for more out of Barry," O'Neal said. "All we want is to have our starting pitcher give us a chance, and he did more than that."

Yankees starter Kenny Rogers pitched a strong game as well, holding the Devil Rays to two runs on six hits and no walks over 7 2/3 innings. Reliever Danny Patterson gave up a run in his 1 1/3 innings of work at the end of the 3-0 loss for New York.

Jimmy Rollins was the sparkplug for the offense, going 3-for-4 with a double and a home run, scoring once and driving in two runs.

"Jimmy has really done a super job in the playoffs," said O'Neal. "We need him to do well at the top of the order for the rest of the guys to do well."

Thirdbaseman Scott Rolen also had three hits, including a double.

With the win, the Devil Rays are now one win shy of going to the World Series for the first time in their five-year history.

Game 4 of the ALCS will be played tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium with left-hander Mark Mulder on the mound for Tampa Bay, and Jeff Suppan pitching for the Yankees.

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Suppan shuts down Devil Rays
New York stays alive with 2-0 win Game in 4
October 11, 2002

BRONX— The New York Yankees avoided being swept out of the American League Championship Series by picking up a 2-0 win over the surging Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Jeff Suppan was on top of his game tonight, throwing eight shutout innings and holding the Devil Rays to five hits and one walk.

Tampa Bay starter Mark Mulder also pitched well, holding the Yankees to two runs on seven hits and two walks, striking out six, in 7 2/3 innings.

Both Yankee runs came via the longball as number nine hitter Cole Liniak hit a solo home run with two outs in the fifth inning, and Melvin Mora opened up the sixth inning with a solo shot of his own.

The ALCS resumes tomorrow night at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees had previously announced Francisco Cordova would be their Game 5 starter as he goes up against Pedro Martinez for Tampa Bay.

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O'Neill carries Bombers to win
Pedro K's 10 but hit for six runs in seven innings
October 12, 2002

BRONX— Paul O'Neill didn't care his career batting average against Pedro Martinez was .063 entering Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. All he cared about was winning, and that's what his team did as the rightfielder hit a pair of home runs off the Tampa Bay Devil Rays ace.

O'Neill led the New York Yankees to victory in Game 5, fighting off elimination for the second straight night, by going 3-for-4 with two runs, five RBI, and two home runs.

O'Neill gave New York the lead in the fourth inning with a two-out three-run home run off Martinez, making it 3-1 Yankees. After the Devil Rays tied the game in the seventh, O'Neill followed up with a solo home run, making it 4-3 Yankees.

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Yankees force Game 7
Halladay rocked by Bronx Bombers
October 14, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays may have won the first three games of the American League Championship Series, but the New York Yankees have won the last three games with one more to go.

The Yankees won Game 6 of the ALCS at Tropicana Field tonight, 6-5, evening up the best-of-seven series and setting up a winner-take-all Game 7 tomorrow night.

Devil Rays starter Roy Halladay was hammered by New York tonight, giving up five runs on six hits and two walks in just two innings. Livan Hernandez, coming out of the bullpen, was impressive for Tampa Bay — one run on two hits and three walks in seven innings of relief.

"Doc [Halladay] had a rough one, and that happens sometimes, but he had a rough one so we got him out of there considering the magnitude of the game," said Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal. "Livan really kept us in the game with his pitching, giving the lineup the chance to come back and try to win the game."

Trailing by two runs heading to the bottom of the ninth inning, Tampa Bay rallied off Yankees closer Antonio Osuna. Erubiel Durazo greeted Osuna with a double down the thirdbase-line, and then scored on an error by New York thirdbaseman Tyler Houston, making it a one-run game. Mike Lamb pinch-hit for Wilton Guerrero and flew out to centerfield for the first out. Adam Kennedy was hit by a pitch, putting the tying run in scoring position and the winning run on first base with the top of the order coming up. Jimmy Rollins went down on strikes and Carlos Beltran ended the game with a groundout to shortstop Melvin Mora.

Game 7 will be played tomorrow night at Tropicana Field. The Yankees are expected to send Francisco Cordova to the mound while the Devil Rays will likely go with left-hander Barry Zito. Cordova has not yet pitched in the playoffs while Zito threw a two-hit shutout against the Yankees in Game 3.

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Yankees are going to the Series
Devil Rays stunned after blowing 3-0 ALCS lead
October 15, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The New York Yankees have become the first team in baseball history to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series and ultimately win that series.

The Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 4-2, at Tropicana Field in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series tonight. The Devil Rays had won the first three games of the series before New York rallied back for a historic four-game rally.

"It's disappointing," said Tampa Bay manager Christian O'Neal. "We're a little shell-shocked here. This is going to be a long winter."

The Yankees will go on to face the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series, which begins Thursday night at Yankee Stadium in New York.

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Yankees win World Series
Cardinals muster one win, fall to Yanks
October 22, 2002

ST. LOUIS — The New York Yankees have won the 2002 World Series.

The Yankees defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 6-4 at Busch Stadium in Game 5 of the World Series, clinching baseball's top honor.

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Nine managers canned
Four GMs given pink slips as well
October 24, 2002

There will be a number of new faces in managers' offices across the league next year after nine skippers were fired today. Four teams also fired the general manager.

The Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Indians, and New York Mets have each decided to take a whole new approach to the 2003 season, firing both their field manager and general manager.

In Boston, ownership fired GM Gerry Hunsicker and manager Cito Gaston. Gaston served as Sox skipper for five seasons, leading the team to a 377-433 record during that time, never finishing higher than third place.

The Cubs canned Ed Lynch as GM and decided interim manager Lucero Vera did not perform well enough to retain his job permanently. Vera, 50, guided Chicago to a 36-39 record for most of the second half of the season after Marcos Camacho was fired in early July.

Cleveland parted with Brian Sabean and surprisingly dumped John Turner as manager. Turner led the Indians to a 347-301 record over four seasons, winning the American League Central in 1999 and 2000, and winning the World Series in 1999. The team won just 70 games this season after winning 91-plus games during Turner's first three years.

Shea Stadium will have a new man in the corner office as the Mets fired General Manager Steve Phillips and manager Bruce Benedict. In five seasons at the helm of the Mets, Benedict posted a 432-377 record. He won the NL East in 2000 and 2001, winning the World Series last year. The team finished in third place this year with 75 wins, the only losing season in Benedict's tenure.

Elsewhere across baseball, the Baltimore Orioles fired manager Larry Dierker after three losing seasons. Dierker led the O's to a 70-92 record in 2002, and won 206 games in that time.

After four years with the Oakland Athletics, Ron O'Farrell is out of a job. O'Farrell led the A's to a 335-313 record with a playoff appearance in 1999. The team went 71-91 this year.

Bruce Bochy got just one season as skipper of the Atlanta Braves before being fired. The Braves finished last in the National League East, going 70-92.

Jim Riggleman is also out of a job after just one season managing a team. Riggleman led the Houston Astros to an 83-79 record, finishing five games out in the division. The performance apparently wasn't good enough in the eyes of General Manager Ed Wade as Riggleman was let go today.

Veteran manager Johnny Oates was fired as well, after just one season at the helm of the San Diego Padres. The Padres went 77-85 this year. Oates may retire.

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2002 Rookie of the Year winners

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2002 Cy Young winners

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Pedro wins Cy Young ... again
Martinez named league's best four years straight
November 6, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pedro Martinez has one year left on his contract, and his price just keeps on going up and up after winning his fourth consecutive American League Cy Young award.

Martinez, 31, was named as the AL's top pitcher today after going 18-5 with a 2.13 ERA and striking out 272 batters for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2002.

"The guy is unbelievable," said Devil Rays manager Christian O'Neal. "I've run out of superlatives for the guy, I really have. I feel like every time he goes out there, that I have a press conference after where all I do is praise him."

Over the last four seasons, Martinez has posted a 77-22 record with a 2.76 ERA and 1,150 strikeouts.

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2002 MVPs

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Martinez inks extension deal
Devil Rays hold $20 M option for 2008 season
November 22, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Devil Rays made the biggest signing of the offseason, and it had nothing to do with a current free agent.

The Devil Rays signed ace pitcher Pedro Martinez to a four-year contract extension with a team option for a fifth additional season. The deal is worth $75.34 million, with the option season coming in at an additional $20 million.

"This is a banner day for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization," said General Manager Shaun Moriarty. "We've got the best pitcher in baseball, and he's going to stay here for quite some time, hopefully for the remainder of his career."

Martinez will earn $15.19 million in the upcoming 2003 season, with a $1 million bonus if he wins the Cy Young Award. He was set to become a free agent after the upcoming season and would likely have commanded a bidding war on the open market. He will earn $19.14 million in 2004, $18 million in 2005, $19 million in 2006, and $19.2 million in 2007.

The 31-year-old owns a 152-71 record with a 3.06 ERA and 2,331 strikeouts in his 11-year-career. Since signing with Tampa Bay as a free agent prior to the 1998 season, Martinez has posted a 90-34 record with a 2.90 ERA and 1,440 strikeouts.