TAMPA, Fla. — In a thrilling contest on Wednesday night, José Caballero launched his maiden career grand slam, helping the Tampa Bay Rays edge out a 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. This win snapped the Rays’ five-game losing streak.
The game began with a bang as Caballero powered the Rays into a 4-0 lead right in the first inning. However, the Angels retaliated with solo home runs in the second, fourth, and fifth innings, trimming the deficit to a single run. The Rays’ Yandy Díaz provided some breathing room by hitting a solo homer in the seventh, giving his team a two-run advantage before Los Angeles’ Kyren Paris belted his second solo homer of the game in the eighth inning.
All home runs during the match headed to right field in George Steinbrenner Field, the temporary home of the Rays while Tropicana Field is undergoing repairs from last fall’s hurricane damages. The dimensions at Steinbrenner bring right field in at just 315 feet. Caballero’s homer, his first of the season, spanned 327 feet, which was the same distance for Díaz’s first homer of the season as well.
Paris, meanwhile, added his fourth and fifth homers of the season, while teammates Jorge Soler and Taylor Ward hit their third and first homers, respectively. Ryan Pepiot, who is now 1-1 for the season, pitched five innings for the Rays, during which he conceded three solo homers. Meanwhile, Pete Fairbanks became the fourth Rays reliever to feature and delivered a scoreless ninth inning, securing his second save of the season.
For the Angels, Yusei Kikuchi, now 0-2, went six innings while surrendering four runs. Offensively for Tampa Bay, both Yandy Díaz and Curtis Mead recorded two hits each, complemented by Nolan Schanuel’s two hits for the Angels. In addition, Angels’ third baseman Yoán Moncada left the game, citing soreness in his right thumb.
A pivotal moment unfolded when Fairbanks secured the first two outs in the ninth inning, though walking Schanuel threatened the lead. Yet, Mike Trout’s foul out sealed the Rays’ victory. This notable performance marked Caballero’s first grand slam in his third major league season, with the achievement occurring during his 688th at-bat.
The series will wrap up on Thursday with Jose Soriano (1-1, 3.65 ERA) from the Angels expected to face off against Zack Littell (0-2, 4.15 ERA) of the Rays.