MILWAUKEE -- The Rays have a lot of people to thank for their 3-2 win over the Brewers on Monday night at American Family Field.
You could start with starter Nick Martinez, who offered yet another reminder that Spring Training stats don’t matter by attacking a hot-hitting Brewers lineup and holding them to two runs over six innings. Don’t forget about the bullpen, which bounced back from a tough opening series with scoreless, mix-and-match work from Griffin Jax, Garrett Cleavinger, Ian Seymour and Kevin Kelly.
Yandy Díaz played a big part, too, drilling the 22nd leadoff homer of his career off Brewers starter Kyle Harrison to continue his incredible start to the season. And Jonny DeLuca had a huge hand in the victory, from the career-long 438-foot solo shot he crushed out to the Miller Lite Landing deck to tie the game in the seventh inning to his impressive two-out walk in the ninth.
One person they definitely shouldn’t forget to thank for the second win of the season? Alfredo Fortes, father of Rays catcher Nick Fortes.
You see, it was Alfredo who threw batting practice to Fortes when he was growing up in DeLand, Fla. And for whatever reason, Alfredo just couldn’t get on top of the baseball as they worked together in a backyard batting cage. So every pitch he threw was high, up in the strike zone or above it.
“All the BP he would throw me was up in the zone,” Fortes explained. “So I just had to learn how to hit it, or else I wouldn't get any BP.”
Back to Monday night, with the game tied at 2 in the ninth. After DeLuca battled back from being down in the count, 1-2, to get on base and keep the inning alive, Fortes stepped into the batter’s box against Brewers reliever Trevor Megill.
Tampa Bay’s catcher was simply looking for something hard, a fastball that he could unload on. Fortunately for him, Megill threw it well above the zone and away from the right-handed-hitting Fortes.
Right where he likes it, thanks to his dad.
“It's a pitch that I see, and I just go for it. I don't know,” Fortes said. “For whatever reason, I'm able to get on top of it. I can't explain it, but it's just kind of what I've always done.”
Fortes hammered the ball to the warning track in right-center field for a double, and DeLuca used his elite speed to dash around the bases -- “not really even watching Brady” Williams, the third-base coach, DeLuca said -- and score the go-ahead run.
“Thankfully it was up in the zone, which historically I like to hit. Which is odd, but it's just me,” Fortes said, smiling. “Thankfully, I was able to get on top of it and split a gap.”
The fact that Fortes hit that pitch the way he did was somewhat of a surprise to some of his teammates, who asked him in the clubhouse afterward why he’s been so productive against high heat in his career. He told them the story, and the statistics show that he’s hit .279 with a .506 slugging percentage in his career against pitches in the upper third of the strike zone compared to .233 with a .332 slugging percentage against stuff in the lower two-thirds.
“That was awesome,” Martinez said. “Not easy to hit. And man, he whacked it.”
But seeing him deliver a big hit was hardly a shock, as the 2025 Trade Deadline acquisition enjoyed an excellent Spring Training and went 4-for-8 with a pair of RBIs in the opening series.
“A guy that showed a lot of confidence in Spring Training, [and it] has kind of carried into the regular season,” manager Kevin Cash said. “He got on top of a fastball. That's a big-time fastball for Megill right there. [It was] set up by Jonny's really good at-bat to get on, but Nick has swung the bat really, really well for us.”
What Fortes did was also no surprise to the Brewers, according to manager Pat Murphy.
"Because we mound-visited and the message was, 'He'll ambush the fastball up. That's what he's looking for,’” Murphy told reporters.
“The kid's a good little player, man. They went out and got him specifically because they really felt this guy was a difference-maker, and he proved to be tonight.”
He didn’t do it alone, of course. He had plenty of help from Martinez, the bullpen, Díaz, DeLuca and the rest of his Rays teammates. And a years-long assist from his father.
“We kind of expected to play a lot of close games,” Fortes said. “Today pretty much played out exactly how you'd expect our games to go, and I think we're prepared for that the rest of the season.”