Tampa Bay Rays News and Links! Replay, Chase Utley to thank for last night's victory

This Date in Team History, of Which They Are 8-6 All-Time

• 2000 - A thrilling come from behind victory on the road occurred as the Rays and Twins battled back and forth in Minnesota. Entering the ninth, Tampa Bay was down, with Greg Vaughn leading off. Vaughn would take this moments to launch his first home run of the Hit Show era to tie the game at six. Thanks to some defensive miscues and small ball, the Rays would take the lead on a Miguel Cairo single and eventually go home winners with a 7-6, victory.
• 2002 - For the second day in a row, the Rays are shutout by the Yankees with Orlando Hernandez and Mariano Rivera combining to dominate Tampa Bay, allowing just three hits overall as the Yankees took a 3-0 victory.
• 2006 - Mark Hendrickson delivers the best start of his professional career as he hurls as complete game shutout against the Orioles, only allowing three hits as the Rays took a 2-0 victory. It is the first CGSO for the Rays since 2003.
• 2006 - Also in 2006, the Rays signed Tomas Perez, who would go on to set a new team record for doubles in a game. Perez also would have the lowest BB% in team history if he had accrued a few more plate appearances he walked just five times over 254 chances at the plate (2.0 BB%).
• 2007 - This season, the bullpen plagued the team, and it seemed like it would result in one of the team's first losses of the year. James Shields had a carried a shutout into the seventh inning, but quickly lost it as he allowed three runs to score, tying the game at three. Then the following inning, Shawn Camp surrendered a two run homer to Troy Glaus to lose the lead. The Rays would make a comeback though in the ninth, as Delmon Young launched a two run homer of his own to tie the game, then B.J. Upton would walk it off with a single that scored Akinori Iwamura to win the game, 6-5.
• 2008 - The Rays fall victim to another Yankees shutout as the trio of Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, and Mariano Rivera shut down the Rays on just four hits. The lone runs in the game, scored on Hidecki Matsui's two run homer, as New York took a 2-0 victory.
• 2010 - The Rays are walk off winners on Opening Day as they used some heroics. Trailing by one heading into the ninth, the Rays loaded the bases with one away for Carl Crawford. With the count 1-0, Crawford laced a pitch down the right field line, for a run scoring double that gave the Rays a 4-3 victory over the Orioles.
• 2012 - Two years after their thrilling walkoff win against Orioles, the Rays upped the ante as they welcomed Carlos Pena home. Pena made it a raucous celebration as he drilled a grand slam in his first plate appearance back. Then in the ninth, with the Rays trailing, he came up against the great Mariano Rivera with the game tied and the bases loaded. So, Pena made (:% go through the roof as he mashed a walk off 'single' giving the Rays the victory.
• 2013 - With opening day looming, the Rays needed to clear roster space. So, they designated Steven Vogt for assignment and eventually traded him to the Athletics. Vogt started his career by going 0-25 with the Rays in 2012, but since he joined Oakland, his career has taken off. Over that time, he has slashed .257/.320/.420 with 31 HR over 235 games. Last year, he put up 18 HR and 2.3 fWAR.
• 2013 - Alex Cobb, along with Joel Peralta and Cesar Ramos combined to shutout the Indians, allowing just five hits en route to a 6-0 victory.
• 2014 - An excellent pitching duel is lost by the bullpen as Alex Cobb and Yu Darvish traded zero's for seven innings before giving way to relief. Joel Peralta promptly served up a two run homer to Elvis Andrus and the Rays would be shut out, 3-0.
• 2015 - The Rays formally retire the number 66, last formally dawned by the legendary, late Don Zimmer who had spent 66 years in professional baseball.