Rays put good finish on long, weird, wet day by beating Pirates in 13

PITTSBURGH - The Rays were having a hard time describing all the details of what they went through during a wild, marathon game packed with huge moments, big swings and controversial calls that included nearly everyone in uniform and played out over 13 innings and, with a long mid-game rain delay, six-plus hours on Saturday afternoon and night.

But they were quite clear about good it felt, and how much it meant, to come out on top, beating the Pirates 8-7.

"That was a pretty emotional win," manager Kevin Cash said. "You're going to see when you go in (the clubhouse), those guys are pumped up right now for what they just went through and what they accomplished. Same with the coaches."

There were sounds and sights of that across the room.

Even usually stoic, and often bland, reliever Kevin Kelly, who got five extra-inning outs, acknowledged how special it was.

"Juiced. Absolutely ecstatic," he said. "I don't think I've ever been in a game that brought out the emotion like that one."

Reliever Griffin Jax, who overcame Friday's failed outing to get three huge outs in the 12th and the win, said it meant a lot more than just one victory.

"It's just the type of win that can carry a team deep into the season," Jax said. "Everybody comes together. It took literally everybody in this game. I think we had no more bench players left. Everybody in the bullpen threw.

"A not-close team doesn't win this game. It's just another type of a thing that shows how close this team is and how good of a clubhouse vibe we have and energy and relationships."

Here's the short version of what the Rays (12-8) went through:

They fell behind early, as Drew Rasmussen allowed a pair of two-run homers. They wasted a prime opportunity against Pirates ace Paul Skenes, foiled in part due to the first of two odd interference calls.

Down 4-0, they sat through a nearly 2 ½-hour rain delay. They scored five runs right after play resumed but let that lead slip away in the eighth.

They took a lead in the 11th when Taylor Walls made a mad dash home on a three-base throwing error but lost that one, too.

They went back ahead in the 13th, when veteran Cedric Mullins hit a two-run homer, then hung on when Yoendrys Gomez, their eighth and last reliever, allowed one run, had two runners in scoring position and got the final out.

"That," Cash said, "was a heck of a ballgame to be a part of."

The Rays emptied their bench by the ninth inning with all four non-starting position players in the game. Neither Jax, who worked the the 12th, nor Gomez were supposed to pitch Saturday. Jesse Scholtens, who is in the rotation as a starter/bulk-inning pitcher, had gone to the bullpen in case he was needed.

"It's awesome. That game literally takes everyone, so it's really good to come out on the winning side of that," Walls said. "We're going to celebrate this one. Got another one (Sunday), but that was a heck of a performance (Saturday) up and down the lineup, the entire bullpen. Everybody was ready to go, coming out of the rain delay, swinging the bats, getting the game back even there. It was nice."

Of several key moments, the biggest was the way the Rays came out of the lengthy delay during the bottom of the fourth, an issue that was supposed to have been avoided by moving up first pitch 35 minutes ahead of the storm.

The pre-rain part of the game hadn't gone well. Rasmussen gave up the first two-run shot to Ryan O'Hearn in the first and the other to Marcell Ozuna in the fourth.

His mates wasted a prime scoring chance, loading the bases against Skenes in the second but getting nothing, in part due to Richie Palacios being called for interfering with first baseman Spencer Horwitz's pursuit of a ground ball, taking a run off the board.

Cash admitted the biggest key to their fifth-inning comeback was "probably Skenes coming out of the game, if we're going to be honest. But you've got to take opportunities when you get them."

The Rays did, scoring five runs by posting five straight two-out hits, the biggest a two-run double by Jonny DeLuca that tied the score 4-4.

They went ahead on a single by Mullins, but that didn't last as the Pirates got even in the eighth.

Same when the Rays scored in the 11th on Walls' mad dash The Pirates got even again when second baseman Ben Williamson made a slightly off target throw home.

Jax handled the top of the Pittsburgh order, including ex-Rays Brandon Lowe and Jake Mangum, to get through the 12th.

Then Mullins, who has been off to a slow start, delivered the marathon game's biggest hit, leading off the 13th with a two-run homer to right-center. "It definitely feels good," he said.

Same for Gomez, who allowed one run in the bottom of the inning and had the tying and winning runs in scoring position but got the final three outs.

Along the way, Cash argued another odd interference call on Chandler Simpson, and pitching coach Kyle Snyder got ejected over a challenge of a ball call not being allowed.

"Yeah, that one was up there," said Mullins, a nine-year veteran. "Just everything encompassing this game, a lot going on. Definitely a weird one."

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 10:39 PM.