Rays bring up Beliveau to boost bullpen

ST. PETERSBURG -- It turns out that Friday's 18-inning marathon win over the Orioles had effects that reached far wider than the Tampa Bay area.

Left-handed reliever Jeff Beliveau was celebrating a friend's birthday in Providence, R.I., when he got a call at 1 a.m. ET.

He thought he had pitched his final game of the season for Triple-A Durham, and team officials had already told him that he was not a part of the Major League club's September plans.

"I saw a St. Pete number, and I'm thinking, 'This could be good, or it could be bad,'" Beliveau said on Saturday morning from his new locker in the Rays' clubhouse. "That was when they were in the 11th inning. They just said, 'Be ready.' My flight was at 7."

Apparently, the Rays' plans changed after using a Major League-record 11 pitchers on Friday.

Beliveau had been deciding whether to play winter ball or shut down his arm for the offseason. Instead he was recalled for the fourth time this season. He has yet to appear in any of the five games he has spent with the club.

"You take it in stride," he said. "You just try to pitch well for whatever team you're on."

Beliveau went 2-3 with a 2.62 ERA in 38 games for the Bulls.