ARLINGTON, Texas — Matt Moore went to the mound as the ultimate wild card.
Seven innings later, he walked off a postseason ace.
Making just his second major-league start, the 22-year-old rookie pitched two-hit ball and left with a huge lead Friday as the Tampa Bay Rays opened the American League playoffs with a 9-0 victory over the defending AL champion Texas Rangers.
“You can’t be more impressed,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “What he did tonight was spectacular.”
A minor leaguer until mid-September, Moore dazzled with his pitching and his poise. He took a deep breath before his first delivery, then was in total control.
“I may have looked a little more calm than I was, especially early,” Moore said. “The first inning, I had a little bit of nerves and adrenaline going.
“But these guys made it really easy for me, putting up those numbers. Looking up there after the fourth — I think it was 8-0 — it was just a matter of throwing strikes and getting out of the innings as fast as possible.”
Kelly Shoppach homered twice and drove in five runs. Johnny Damon also homered for Tampa Bay.
Moore began this best-of-five matchup by striking out six and walking two against the AL’s top-hitting team.
The Rays played for the first time since their dramatic rally Wednesday night on the final day of the regular season. Since Tampa Bay needed every out simply to overcome Boston’s nine-game lead in the last 3½ weeks to win the wild card, Maddon had to focus on getting into the playoffs rather than trying to set up his pitching rotation.
When Maddon had to pick a rested starter for Game 1 of the AL division series rematch of last year, he had no qualms about going with the lefty who made his first start last week at Yankee Stadium and struck out 11 in five scoreless innings.
No pitcher had ever started a postseason opener with only one previous career start until the seemingly unfazed Moore took the mound at Rangers Ballpark less than 22 hours after being told he was pitching in the playoffs and less than three months after pitching in the Futures Game during the All-Star break.
Rookie Brandon Gomes and Wade Davis both pitched a hitless inning in relief to complete the first shutout in Rays’ postseason history.
Game 2 is tonight. James Shields will start for the Rays against Derek Holland.
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