Tampa Bay 3, Seattle 0

Today we saw the Blake Snell we’d been dreaming of as he rose through the prospect ranks over the years. Tossing 101 pitches, Snell gave up 2 hits, 2 walks and zero runs while striking out 8 Mariners over 7 frames. He made batters look downright foolish at times. If you missed the game, catching the highlights is worth your time.

Outlaw got Snell some run support early, as he cranked a leadoff homer to dead center field to put the Rays up 1-0. That score would remain all the way until the 7th, when Adeiny Hechavarria lifted Yovani Gallardo’s offering into the right field seats, or more accurately into the concourse leading to Section 148, as the ball appeared to land directly in the entryway. If a surprised fan managed to lose his or her grip on a snack as the ball came flying in, well, maybe Hechavarria should be thanked for this in light of recent events. His shot would score Sucre to put the Rays up 3-0 for good.

Hechavarria wasn’t done with his own highlight reel, though, as he made one of the most incredible plays I’ve seen all season to end the game in the 9th. Nelson Cruz hit a shot between third and short that Hechavarria somehow dove and caught, then leapt to his feet to fire a shot to first base to beat Cruz to the bag.

My jaw is still on the floor, and I still find myself watching the highlights now as I wind down for the evening. This one is a can’t-miss play.

The Rays managed to avoid a sweep by the Mariners with today’s win. The Blue Jays head down to St Pete next week, after the Rays enjoy an off day tomorrow, and it looks like they’ll be met with a battery of Archer, Pruitt and Cobb this week.