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WATCH: Tampa Bay Rays’ Shane Baz starts career by beating Toronto Blue Jays

Sep 20, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA;   Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Shane Baz (11) looks on at the end of the second inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Tampa Bay top prospect Shane Baz made his major league debut and outdueled Toronto ace Robbie Ray, and Yandy Diaz swatted a go-ahead three-run homer as the Rays beat the Blue Jays 6-4 Monday in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Rays (93-58) activated the 22-year-old Baz on Monday. He had stints at Double-A Montgomery, Triple-A Durham and with the U.S. Olympic team this season.

Baseball America’s No. 11 overall prospect, the right-handed Baz (1-0) allowed two hits — both solo homers — in five innings. He retired 15 of the 17 batters he faced and did not reach a three-ball count. He struck out five.

Diaz (homer, double, three RBIs, two runs) and Kevin Kiermaier (run, stolen base) each went 3-for-4. Joey Wendle hit his 11th homer and scored twice.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth, Dietrich Enns battled back from a 3-0 count against pinch hitter Breyvic Valera and got him looking for his second save.

The Rays beat Toronto for the 10th time in 17 tries this season.

Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. slugged the solo homers for the Blue Jays (84-66). Marcus Semien had a two-run homer in the ninth, his 41st of the season, for Toronto.

Facing American League East-leading Tampa Bay for the sixth time this season, Ray (12-6) yielded three runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings, with five strikeouts and two walks.

Baz fanned leadoff hitter George Springer swinging on an 87 mph slider, got a grounder from Semien and struck out Triple Crown candidate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. swinging on a high 99 mph fastball in the first inning.

Hernandez got to Baz’s high 0-1 fastball in the second, lifting a home run — his 29th, and his 107th RBI — near the tank of aquatic stingrays in right-center.

Gurriel made it 2-0 with a homer to left off a Baz slider that stayed middle-in. The blast was the left fielder’s 20th this season — tying his career high set in 2019.

After Taylor Walls and Kiermaier singled with one out in the fifth, Diaz belted a 1-2 fastball to left-center for his 12th homer and a 3-2 lead. Randy Arozarena’s double two batters later chased Ray.

In the sixth, Kiermaier’s second infield single resulted in third baseman Jake Lamb throwing the ball wide of first baseman Guerrero, sending Wendle across with an unearned run.

Manuel Margot’s RBI single in the seventh and Wendle’s homer into the first row in right added insurance runs.

–Field Level Media

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