ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Rookie third baseman Evan Longoria homered in his first two at-bats, and the Tampa Bay Rays were a big hit in their postseason debut, beating the Chicago White Sox 6-4 on Thursday.
After 10 seasons as baseball’s doormat, the Rays took the AL East with the best home record (57-24) in the majors. A lack of postseason experience was not a factor as they kept winning at Tropicana Field behind James Shields’ effective start and Grant Balfour’s bases-loaded escape.
“It feels like you’re in a dream,” said Carl Crawford, who at 27 is the longest-tenured player in team history. “I’m just glad we got this first win out of the way. It was real special.”
Chicago took a 3-1 lead on Dewayne Wise’s three-run homer in the third inning. But Javier Vazquez could not hold it.
Longoria became the second player to homer in his first two postseason at-bats, joining one of his former minor-league hitting coaches, Gary Gaetti, who did it with the Minnesota Twins in 1987.
Longoria, who started the year in the minors and still hit 27 homers in the big leagues despite missing 30 games with a broken right wrist, homered on his first postseason pitch, a 421-foot leadoff drive in the second. He put Tampa Bay ahead 4-3 with another solo shot in the third, a 430-foot homer.
“I was just looking for a pitch out over the plate I could hit,” said Longoria, who also had an RBI single and finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs.
The Rays led 6-3 in the seventh when the game got tense.
Balfour relieved Shields with the bases loaded and one out and struck out Juan Uribe. Orlando Cabrera was up next and after ball one, he kicked dirt toward the mound and appeared to shout something at Balfour. The reliever walked toward the plate before being stopped by umpire Joe West.
Balfour fanned Cabrera to end the threat, pumped his fist and pointed at the White Sox shortstop. The exchange also brought Rays manager Joe Maddon and bench coach Dave Martinez out of the dugout, and more words were exchanged.
Cabrera said he was responding to something Balfour said.
“They say that he always gets pumped up like that,” Cabrera said. “I didn’t know that so I just got mad a little bit. . . . It was just heat of the moment.”
Said Balfour: “I fire myself up. That’s what I do.”
Shields allowed three runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Balfour struck out both batters he faced, and J.P. Howell worked a perfect eighth.
Dan Wheeler gave up a solo home run to Paul Konerko in finishing for a save. Wheeler is filling in for closer Troy Percival, who has been slowed by injuries and was left off the playoff roster.
Rays slugger Carlos Peña left after the second inning with slightly blurred vision in his left eye. The Rays said he accidentally scratched his eye at home but was expected to return to the lineup for Game 2.
