ST. PETERSBURG -- It’s not easy to hit a home run off Mason Miller. Only two players had done so between the time Miller first put on a Padres uniform last August and when he scaled the mound to pitch the ninth inning Sunday afternoon at Tropicana Field.
For Jonny DeLuca, a little help went a long way against Miller.
With the Rays down by two runs, a runner on and two outs in the ninth inning, DeLuca launched a fly ball deep to left field that Samad Taylor caught and dropped over the cut-out portion of the outfield wall for an unlikely, unbelievable game-tying homer off Miller.
The Rays capitalized on their good fortune in the 11th inning, as Jorge Mateo lined a walk-off single over Taylor’s head to finish a crazy, 5-4 victory over the Padres.
The game seemed all but over heading into the ninth. Miller, the flame-throwing right-hander had 32 saves in 33 opportunities. And Tampa Bay’s lineup had been quiet since Junior Caminero launched his 37th home run of the season off lefty Robbie Ray in the fourth inning.
But Caminero gave his team a chance by knocking a leadoff single to center. Two outs later, DeLuca came to the plate. What looked like a routine flyout at the warning track turned out to be anything but that. Taylor’s momentum carried him into the wall, and he couldn’t keep the ball in his outstretched glove.
DeLuca and Taylor immediately reacted in disbelief, albeit at opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. DeLuca looked back at the Rays’ dugout and grinned widely as he rounded the bases, while Taylor put his hands on his knees and bent over, looking down at the Trop’s turf.
The Rays came up with a big out in the 10th, as catcher Liam Hicks fired a bullet down the line to Caminero to catch Jase Bowen stealing third base. Bryan Baker struck out Manny Machado to end the inning, but the Rays couldn’t push across a run in the 10th.
The Padres scored once in the 11th, although Tyler Wells limited the damage to a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly.
Facing right-hander David Morgan, Hicks hit a single to center that moved pinch-runner Richie Palacios to third. Pinch-running catcher Kenny Piper promptly stole second, at which point the Padres intentionally walked Chandler Simpson to bring up DeLuca with the bases loaded.
With San Diego’s infield drawn in, DeLuca hit a bouncer to shortstop Xander Bogaerts. But Bogaerts bobbled the ball, allowing Palacios to score as DeLuca trotted to first and Mateo stepped up to the plate.