With a bullpen stretched thin after a hard-fought rival series in the Bronx and facing down another razor-thin margin late in the game, the Rays desperately needed an offensive explosion.
They got exactly that with a 5-run 7th inning. It wasn’t through power or the long ball. It was due to elite speed and extremely good baserunning.
The entire inning was set up by a single play. With two men on, the speedy Roman Quinn at 1st, Jose Siri smacked a 107 MPH Exit Velocity grounder, 3rd hardest hit ball of the game, right to Royals shortstop Nicky Lopez.