Miami (AFP) - Tampa Bay pitcher Drew Rasmussen came within three outs of the first perfect game in Rays history Sunday, only for Baltimore's Jorge Mateo to step in.
Rasmussen retired the first 24 Orioles hitters he faced before Mateo belted the first pitch of the ninth inning down the left-field line for a leadoff double.
"I'll take it," Rasmussen said."It helps our team's chance of winning.When our team has a chance to win a game, that's first and foremost, the most important thing."
Rasmussen had been untroubled through eight innings of the 4-1 Major League Baseball victory, finishing with a total of 87 pitches.
Baltimore's batters never really threatened, striking out seven times and forcing no spectacular defensive efforts from the Rays.
Then came Mateo, who pounced on a first-pitch cut fastball, reached third on a ground out and finally scored on a wild pitch by Rasmussen.
When Brett Phillips reached base on another wild pitch, Rays manager Kevin Cash came out of the dugout to remove Rasmussen -- who received a standing ovation as he departed the field.
"It was just a really cool outing, a really cool environment to be in," Rasmussen said.
It was the second time Tampa Bay has taken a bid for a rare perfect game into the ninth inning.
On July 14, 2019, two Rays pitchers had combined to stay perfect through eight innings, but that bid, too, was broken up by the Orioles.
"It was definitely a relief," Mateo said."No team wants to have that on them and be the team that got a perfect game against them.It was definitely nice to get that hit in the last inning."
Rasmussen finished his day charged with one run in 8 1/3 innings, with one hit, no walks and seven strikeouts.
"A lot of early count, weak outs," Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said."That helped him out.But he threw a heck of a game."
In MLB history, there have been 21 perfect games -- a contest in which a pitcher or pitchers complete at least nine innings without allowing a batter from the opposing team to reach base by any means.
The last MLB pitcher to accomplish the feat was Seattle's Felix Hernandez -- against the Rays on August 15, 2012.
