ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jorge Alfaro had already struck out twice on Friday night when he fell into a two-strike count with two outs and a runner on second in the ninth inning. Scott Kingery’s double looked sure to be wasted. Alfaro was a whiff away from his 16th strikeout of the season.
Rays closer Alex Colome fired another cutter, the pitch Alfaro had already swung helplessly at twice in the at-bat. But there would not be a third miss. Alfaro smacked the cutter and fired a ground ball through the left side of the infield. Kingery raced for home and the Phillies had the go-ahead run in a 2-1 win.