The Tampa Bay Rays are on the brink of history following their unbeaten start to the MLB season.
Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer as they clinched a 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night. The victory marked the Rays’ 12th straight win to start the season, one short of the best major league start since 1900. The team’s 12-game winning streak matches the team record set in June 2004.
Tampa Bay can match the 13-0 mark at home against the Red Sox tonight, who have lost their last 12 away games to the Rays. Taj Bradley (1-0) won his major league debut for the Rays. The 22-year-old pitcher, recalled from Triple-A Durham as a replacement for the injured Zach Eflin, allowed three runs and struck out eight over five innings.
“Taj did a great job,” Rays catcher Christian Bethancourt said. “I think he did amazing. I had fun. It was very enjoyable. He was everything I expected.” During the game, Red Sox reliever Zack Kelly left the game early due to some discomfort in his right elbow. After throwing a pitch that hit Yandy Díaz, Kelly dropped to the ground in agony as he covered his face.
“He’ll fly with us tomorrow, and we’ll do all the stuff, the imaging, all that in Boston,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said post-game. “It’s the elbow he had surgery (on) a few years ago. Tough, tough to see. Hopefully there’s nothing wrong.” Boston's pitcher Chris Sale gave up six runs, five earned, in four innings. His ERA remained at 11.25.
“Tough, you know,” Sale said. “If we had a better starting pitcher we’d have a better chance to win. I think if you look at any of my outings, I had to get bailed out. I’m not going to sit here and make excuses. I’ve just got to be better.”
Tampa Bay leads the majors with 30 home runs, joining the 2019 Seattle Mariners (32) and the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (31) as the only teams to hit at least 30 homers in their opening 12 games of a season.
Furthermore, the Rays have homered in each of their first dozen games, becoming the first team to do since the New York Yankees three years ago.
If the Rays defeat the Red Sox again, they will equal a tally achieved by the 1987 Brewers and 1982 Braves. Then, it'd be up to the Toronto Blue Jays to stop Tampa from achieving the best win streak to start a season since the beginning of the 20th century. "We’re doing something that’s pretty meaningful, impactful," says manager Kevin Cash. "The guys should be proud of that."
