They Packed The Trop And Were Treated To A Gem

Bryan Baker, closer for the Tampa Bay Rays, encountered a new problem on the mound Saturday night. He’d been summoned to record the final three outs of Game 1 of the ALDS and to preserve and finish a franchise-all-timer of a gem from teammate Drew Rasmussen, who’d pitched eight shutout innings of miraculous one-hit baseball against the New York Yankees’ depleted but still fearsome lineup.

Baker, working out pitch-sequencing with catcher Liam Hicks, found that he was having trouble making out the sounds coming from the little PitchCom speaker buzzing right next to his ear. After a 1–1 fastball nicked the outside of the zone against pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton, Baker had to cup his glove over his ear to hear the call.

“That was probably the most electric crowd I’ve ever played in front of,” Baker said after the game, a 1–0 Rays victory. “Still kind of digesting it.”