Yandy Diaz on Thursday hit a three-run home run as the Tampa Bay Rays — starting an unprecedented nine Latin American players on Roberto Clemente Day — routed Toronto 11-0 to pull within half a game of the Blue Jays in the wild-card chase.
Clemente, the late Hall of Fame outfielder from Puerto Rico, was a two-time World Series winner and National League Most Valuable Player who played 18 seasons with Pittsburgh.
The Blue Jays’ Latin American starters were from five nations — Colombia, Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
Photo: AFP
“Very happy, especially on a day like today,” Diaz said. “I think the Latinos are really putting a stamp on the game of baseball.”
All nine Rays starters, as well as bases coaches Chris Prieto and Rodney Linares, wore No. 21 to honor Clemente. The nine starters posed for a photograph on the field after the game.
Diaz said he hoped to put his jersey and a lineup card in a frame to remember the historic day.
Rays manager Kevin Cash said the lineup was based on the batters he wanted to face Toronto right-hander Kevin Gausman.
“Gausman we’ve got as a reverse-split guy, so load up the righties,” Cash said. “It just worked out that they were all the Latin background.”
Shane McClanahan returned from the injured list to pitch five shutout innings.
“I’ve been dying to get back and help this team any way I can,” McClanahan said.
Isaac Paredes hit a solo home run and added an RBI single as the Rays (80-63) won the fifth and final game of the series.
Toronto (81-63) next play a four-game series at Tampa Bay, starting on Thursday next week.
Seattle (80-62), who hold one of the three American League wild-card spots, were idle on Thursday, but moved percentage points ahead of Toronto.
Diaz homered in a four-run second inning, his ninth. Paredes made it 5-0 with a leadoff blast in the seventh, his 19th.
Randy Arozarena had three hits, including an RBI single in the ninth, and Manuel Margot added a three-run double later in the six-run frame as Tampa Bay piled on against right-handers Trevor Richards and David Phelps.
Activated off the injured list after missing 15 games because of a shoulder impingement, McClanahan (12-5) allowed three hits, struck out five and walked one.
“We’re better with him than without him, no doubt about it,” Cash said. “He’s such a talented pitcher.”
The left-hander pitched around a pair of singles in the first inning, then retired 14 of the final 16 batters he faced.
“Today he was so nasty,” Rays catcher Rene Pinto said. “We are not machines, but he looks like one.”
J.T. Chargois got two outs in the sixth, Jason Adam worked 1-1/3 innings, Javy Guerra pitched the eighth and Kevin Herget finished the six-hitter, Tampa Bay’s 10th shutout.
Gausman (12-10) allowed five runs and six hits in seven innings, snapping a streak of four straight winning decisions. He struck out seven and walked one.
“Too many mistakes, and mistakes magnified with guys on base,” Gausman said.
After Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette hit back-to-back singles in the first, the pair executed a double steal. McClanahan escaped by striking out Matt Chapman and getting Teoscar Hernandez to fly out.
Elsewhere, the Diamondbacks blanked the Padres 4-0, the Reds edged the Cardinals 3-2, the Mets sank the Pirates 7-1, the Twins dethroned the Royals 3-2, the Astros downed the Athletics 5-2, the Marlins mastered the Phillies 5-3 and the White Sox routed the Guardians 8-2.
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