BALTIMORE — Before the call was even made, Austin Hays and his Orioles teammates were already leaving the field. He, as well as just about everyone inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards, knew the ruling would be overturned.
Hays had thrown a seed from left field to home plate, and catcher Anthony Bemboom applied the tag to Wander Franco. The initial call — which would’ve given the Tampa Bay Rays a 13th-inning lead — signaled Franco safe. But left-hander Nick Vespi left the mound moments later with two scoreless innings under his belt, in part thanks to Hays’ arm. But there was an even larger part: Vespi’s slider.
On a day many expected catcher Adley Rutschman — the top prospect in baseball — to make his Orioles debut, the major league debut for Vespi stole the headlines. It was his 20 sliders that drew seven whiffs, and his two innings that shut the door on the Rays.
