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I was all Big ‘Ole Texas Country down in Tampa Bay Tuesday afternoon.
Game 2 is tomorrow at 3:08. pic.twitter.com/z5BMGYCvJr
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 3, 2023
The Montgomery Show
The Texas Rangers shutout the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 to start their AL Wild Card Series.
The grand defensive effort was led by the 6-foot-6 pitcher Jordan Montgomery. The left-hander dominated the mound by allowing no walks, only six hits and striking out five players. He did all of this in seven innings, leaving after retiring Tampa’s Junior Caminero.
Monty is the man. #GoAndTakeIt pic.twitter.com/JNt969q1Dj
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 3, 2023
However, before exiting the game, Monty made sure to leave it all on the field. For someone who is considered a “giant” in baseball, the South Carolina native pulled out everything and the kitchen sink to make an impeccable diving catch in the second inning.
“It wasn’t a soft landing, was it? He’s a big fellow,” Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “We were in a tight situation there. Just shows you how competitive he is to go out there and dive for that ball.”
MONTY GOES ALL OUT! pic.twitter.com/uEGV4d8rbg
— Texas Rangers (@Rangers) October 3, 2023
Apart from Montgomery’s heroic efforts, the scoring for the Rangers went as followed:
Top of the second: Josh Jung batted up a sacrifice fly that would lead to Nathaniel Lowe to score. 1-0 Rangers.
Top of the fifth: Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow threw a wild pitch to the right that would have Corey Seager to come home. 2-0 Rangers.
Top of the sixth: Corey Seager flew out a single to center field that would be botched initially by Jose Siri, which would lead to Marcus Semien and Evan Carter to score.
Tampa Bay Trouble
After putting up a donut on Tuesday, the Rays’ postseason struggles continue to rain true.
Tampa has now lost its last six playoff games, an organization record. To add insult to poor play, the team has not scored a single run in the past 27 innings of postseason play.
Despite his two hits and some extra motivation with his mother throwing out the first pitch, Randy Arozarena was not enough for the Rays. However, neither was the rest of the lineup. Yandy Diaz, Isaac Paredes, Curtis Mead and Taylor Walls all combined for a total of 4 hits against the Rangers.
https://twitter.com/RaysBaseball/status/1709288378619818422
“It happens. You have those days, but we’ll lock in and try to come out a little hotter (Wednesday),” Rays shortstop Walls said.
In addition to the devastating loss on the field, adding insult to injury, Tampa Bay took a historic hit in the stands. Even though the team wore their Devil Rays jerseys fir the first time in postseason history, the attendance for this game was at an all-time low.
According to USA TODAY, only 19,704 people showed up at Tropicana Field. This is the lowest amount of fan attendance at a playoff game since the 1919 World Series in Cincinnati.
Despite a 99-win season, Rays' fans did not show up to their team's first playoff game, with only 19,704 fans in Tropicana Field, the fewest since 1919. https://t.co/Yd6OwLBocp
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) October 4, 2023
Up Next
The Rays will look for a different result and more attendance as they host the Rangers in Game 2 Wednesday afternoon at 3:08 p.m.
Coverage will begin on ESPN 98.1 FM 850 AM WRUF right here at 2:30 p.m.
