It’s the most anti-climactic turning point in sports history, bereft of drama and barely noteworthy. But that walk Rays relief pitcher gave to Minnesota Twins shortstop Jamey Carroll sure made an impact in the 5-4 series opening loss Tampa Bay suffered at the hands of their visitors from the North.
On a night when starting pitcher Matt Moore wasn’t his sharpest but pitched well enough to win, a night when home run heroics from Evan Longoria and Matt Joyce weren’t enough, it was a free base that spelled disaster (insert obligatory Josh Hamilton joke).
“It’s not where it needs to be yet," manager Joe Maddon said of Moore's performance. "I think he tried to attack the strike zone, he’s just not able to throw it where he wants to quite yet."
This article appears in Apr 19-25, 2012.