Baltimore Orioles third baseman Hanser Alberto spoiled the Tampa Bay Rays’ effort for the first combined perfect game in MLB history with a weak single.
The Rays used Ryne Stanek to open Sunday’s game and he threw two perfect innings against Baltimore. Ryan Yarbrough came in after that and delivered six more perfect innings. It wasn’t until Alberto led off the ninth with a weak grounder through the hole at second base for a single that Baltimore got its first baserunner of the game.
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— Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) July 14, 2019
That would have been a routine out had Tampa Bay not been implementing a shift against Alberto, but they were, so it got through.
Yarbrough gave up another single and got a strikeout before being lifted for Oliver Drake, who allowed the runners to move up on a fielder’s choice and then an RBI single to make it 4-1. Emilio Pagan came in to get the final out.
After entering the ninth seeking a combined perfect game, the Rays’ pitching staff ended up yielding three hits and a run in the game. Their combined perfect game effort came two days after the Angels delivered a combined no-hitter.
