MINNEAPOLIS -- When Carlos Correa lofted a fly ball to medium-deep right field in the 10th inning on Thursday afternoon, everyone at Target Field knew what was going to happen next. Royce Lewis, the Twins’ speedy superstar, would tag up at second base and race to third, and Minnesota would have the potential tying run 90 feet away with one out.
Jose Siri, however, had other ideas.
Siri ranged over from center field, called off right fielder Richie Palacios and made the catch. Then, Siri spun to his right, planted his feet and threw a rocket on a line over Lewis’ head, right to the glove of third baseman José Caballero, who slapped the tag on Lewis for a double play.
Soon, the Rays were celebrating one of their wildest victories of the season -- 7-6 in 10 innings -- to take the rubber game of the series and even their record at 3-3 on the current nine-game road trip, which ends this weekend in Pittsburgh.
After a game filled with ups and downs, highs and lows on both sides, seemingly all anyone wanted to talk about was Siri’s throw.
“I was like, 'Let me get behind this, get behind it and [make] a good throw.’ That all happened in my head,” Palacios said, as he described his view of the play.
“And then I heard Siri, and I know Siri, so I said, 'All right. Siri's gonna get it.' And he did what needed to be done. He has a cannon. I gave him the opportunity and he did what was best.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash jokingly suggested that Palacios was the real hero of the day for stepping back and giving Siri room to operate.
“I mean, that’s the right play,” Cash said. “[Siri’s] the only guy in the outfield that can make that throw, or potentially make it. I told Richie, ‘Really impressive that you got the hell out of the way.’”
Lewis, who also homered for the second straight day to give him nine in 15 games this season, admitted he was as surprised as anyone that he was thrown out.
“As I see [Siri] running really hard, trying to call it off, I’m like, ‘It’s going to be a tough throw for him to plant, stop, make a good throw, accurate throw,’” Lewis said. “And I feel like I was fast enough to make it happen and put us in a good position for the next play. But like I said, he made an unbelievable throw.”
According to Statcast, Siri’s missile traveled 206 feet at 90.9 mph. Of course, with any amazing moment, there always has to be one person who’s not impressed. This time, that person was Siri.
“I've made plays like that before, many times. Situations like that in the Dominican, in the Minor Leagues, I have,” Siri said through interpreter Manny Navarro.
Pete Fairbanks threw the pitch that Correa hit. And the only reason he was on the mound -- the only reason the play happened -- was that the Rays’ closer gave up a two-strike, three-run homer to Jose Miranda with two outs in the ninth to tie the game at 6.
“I made him look really bad on two [pitches]. And then, he looked really good on the worst one of the four that I threw,” Fairbanks said. “I just put it in the spot that you don't want to put it. and he didn't miss it. So hats off to him. I just absolutely destroyed a few things in the cage and then regrouped, and we got it done.”
When asked to elaborate on the destruction, he said a bit sheepishly, “Let's just say that I owe the Minnesota Twins’ visiting [batting] cage a new IKEA stool. … It's not existent anymore. But sometimes you’ve got to get it all out to go out there and put up another zero.”
After Jonny DeLuca’s one-out single in the 10th inning plated the go-ahead run, Cash didn’t hesitate to send Fairbanks back out to protect the one-run lead.
“You hate to see one pitch define the outing, and that’s kind of what it looked like. Miranda got a curveball up in the zone that he could handle for the three-run homer,” Cash said. “But Pete kept his head on straight, knowing that we needed him and where we were from a bullpen usage standpoint, and came out and got three big outs right there for us.”
After taking two of three long games, all decided by one run in the ninth inning or later, the Rays walked away feeling better about the trajectory of their season. And Siri offered a bit of advice to Tampa Bay fans -- or perhaps a warning to upcoming opponents.
“Don't get too impressed,” he said, “because I can do that and more.”