WEST SACRAMENTO — Rays catcher Nick Fortes didn’t even need his glove to secure a fifth-inning strikeout during Monday’s 7-4 win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park.
Darell Hernaiz’s lunging swing at a slider from Tampa Bay starter Ryan Pepiot in the fifth inning resulted in the slightest of contact, directing the baseball downward. The foul tip found the perfect place — lodged right in the center of a triangle between Fortes’ throwing arm, his right leg and the side of his chest protector.
The play wasn’t over yet: When Fortes clambered to his feet an instant later, the baseball popped free from its nesting spot. After a hasty, failed attempt to snag it with his throwing hand, Fortes brought his glove arm down underneath the baseball to grab the foul tip and complete the strikeout once and for all.
The Tampa Bay catcher’s nifty play came at a bit of a cost — the baseball nicked Fortes’ thumb on its way in, and the backstop was visited by a team trainer before remaining in the game.
Acquired from the Marlins on July 29, Fortes recorded his second hit with the Rays earlier Monday, a two-run single up the middle to open the scoring in the second inning. The two-out, two-strike hit proved crucial as the A’s hung around all night before the Rays clinched a win in the series opener.
Tampa Bay recorded 15 hits, including back-to-back homers from Brandon Lowe and Junior Caminero, to rebound after being swept by the Mariners over the weekend in Seattle.
