ST. PETERSBURG -- Erasmo Ramirez finally made his 2016 debut, and the outing couldn't have gone better.
Ramirez was moved to the bullpen to enable the Rays to use a four-man rotation to begin the season. He pitched two scoreless frames to finish off the Rays' 5-3 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday, earning his first win of the season in the process.
"As a reliever you have to just go and execute your pitches no matter who is hitting," Ramirez said. "I got the main part of the lineup in that moment. I can not go and be nervous, I just need to execute pitches and be aggressive against them. Don't go thinking too much. [I] believe in my catcher, because he called most of the pitches. ... Just happy we got the win."
Ramirez allowed one hit and struck out two.
"He pitches well in any situation," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He doesn't seem to let the inning, the score or anything affect him. He just goes out there and attacks hitters."
The Rays' bullpen stood out during the four-game series, pitching to a 1.32 ERA, and 11 of the relievers' 12 appearances were scoreless. Going forward, Ramirez just wants to fit in with the group.
"Well, I'm going to be working in the bullpen," Ramirez said. "I just try to be like one of them. Go out there and execute on the mound. ... If they're the best, I just have to copy them and find out what I have to do every time out. Just be prepared every day."