On Tuesday night, the Toronto Blue Jays faced off against the Tampa Bay Rays in a highly anticipated game. However, it was Rays pitcher Tyler Alexander who stole the show with an impressive performance on the mound.
Alexander came within just five outs of pitching a perfect game against the Blue Jays, a feat that has only been achieved 23 times in Major League Baseball history. The left-hander was in complete control, striking out nine batters and allowing no hits or walks through 7 and 2/3 innings.
The Blue Jays struggled to make any significant contact against Alexander, with only two balls leaving the infield during his dominant outing. It wasn’t until the eighth inning that Blue Jays’ catcher Danny Jansen broke up the perfect game with a single to right field.
Despite not achieving the perfect game, Alexander’s performance was still one for the record books. He became the first pitcher in Rays history to take a perfect game into the eighth inning and the first pitcher in the MLB this season to do so.
After the game, Alexander humbly credited his teammates for their support and praised the Blue Jays’ hitters for putting up a tough fight. “I was just trying to execute pitches and my defense was making great plays behind me,” he said in a post-game interview.
The Rays went on to win the game 5-1, with Alexander earning the win and improving his record to 2-1 for the season. This impressive performance solidifies his spot in the Rays’ starting rotation and cements him as a rising star in the MLB.
As for the Blue Jays, they may have fallen short in this game, but they can take solace in the fact that they were able to break up Alexander’s perfect game bid and put up a fight against one of the league’s top pitchers.
Overall, it was a thrilling game for both teams and a memorable night for Tyler Alexander. His near-perfect game will surely be talked about for years to come and serves as a reminder of the incredible talent and skill in the MLB.
