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Game Notes
CARLOS PENA LEFT THE GAME AFTER THE SECOND INNING WITH BLURRED VISION IN HIS LEFT EYE.

NEW YORK -- Carlos Pena grabbed attention for all those balls he hit. Now the Tampa Bay Rays first baseman is getting noticed for the ones he caught.


2008 AL Gold Glove winners
Pos. Winner
P Mike Mussina, Yankees
C Joe Mauer, Twins
1B Carlos Pena, Rays
2B Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox
3B Adrian Beltre, Mariners
SS Michael Young, Rangers
OF Torii Hunter, Angels; Grady Sizemore, Indians; Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners

Pena raised his profile Thursday when he won the Gold Glove, one of four newcomers on the AL team.

Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young and Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer were also first-time winners for fielding excellence.

The outfield was a repeat from last season: The Los Angeles Angels' Torii Hunter and Seattle Mariners' Ichiro Suzuki each won for the eighth straight year and the Cleveland Indians' Grady Sizemore earned his second award.

New York Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina, coming off his first 20-win season, added to his accolades with his seventh Gold Glove. Seattle third baseman Adrian Beltre won for the second straight year.

Pena bounced around the majors for several seasons before joining Tampa Bay in 2007 and quickly got a regular spot by hitting 46 home runs.

Pena starred with the bat this year, too, with 31 homers and 102 RBIs in helping lead the surprising Rays to their first playoff spot. He also sparkled with the glove, making only two errors as Tampa Bay reached the World Series, where it lost to Philadelphia.

The 30-year-old Pena has shown improvement in the field, cutting down from 13 errors with the Detroit Tigers in 2003. He made eight last year with the Rays.

Rawlings has presented Gold Gloves since 1957. Managers and coaches pick players in their own leagues near the end of the regular season and can't vote for someone on their team.

The Gold Gloves often raise the ire of many baseball fans. Critics claim the best fielders are overlooked in favor of more popular players and further insist that better hitters get a break in the voting.

Hunter and Sizemore earned $100,000 bonuses in their contracts for winning Gold Gloves. Beltre and Suzuki got $50,000 each and Pena, Mauer and Young won $25,000 apiece. Mussina and Pedroia did not have Gold Glove clauses.

The NL Gold Gloves were announced Wednesday. Winners were pitcher Greg Maddux, catcher Yadier Molina, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, second baseman Brandon Phillips, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, third baseman David Wright and outfielders Nate McLouth, Carlos Beltran and Shane Victorino.

Tampa Bay slugger Carlos Pena broke two fingers when he was hit by a CC Sabathia pitch in the opener of Monday's day-night doubleheader against the Yankees.

Pena was hurt on an 0-1 offering in the first inning of a 4-1 loss, with the ball hitting his left hand and then his bat.

"I knew when the ball hit me it was going to be bad," he said. "You don't take a 95 mph fastball on the finger and live to tell about it -- or the finger live to tell about it."

Pena broke the middle and index fingers. He will return to Florida on Tuesday and meet with the Rays medical staff before a determination is made whether he needs surgery.

Pena leads the AL with 39 homers and finished with 100 RBIs.

"I was crushed," he said. "It felt like you had taken my heart, thrown it around and stepped on it. That hurt more than the hit by pitch itself. I was really very much looking forward to the next three weeks. I wanted to keep putting it out there, tying to do the best I could. Now I have to wait another year."

Pena didn't even get to take first. He initially headed up the line, but plate umpire Jim Wolf checked with third base umpire Fieldin Culbreth, who signaled Pena had swung.

Pena was examined by trainer Ron Porterfield and manager Joe Maddon for several minutes, remained in the game and had a check swing for strike three. He held his hand as he walked from the plate and was replaced at first in the bottom half by Willy Aybar.

"When I was taking the dry swings, I knew it was bad, but I thought I could handle the pain. When I had the check swing, you know you have to stop all that weight. It really hurt," he said. "When I saw the X-rays, it was obvious that it was broken, almost in half."

A year after its surprise run to the AL East title, Tampa Bay has faded from contention. The Rays have lost five straight, matching their season high, and began the day seven games behind wild card-leading Boston.

Now they've lost their top power threat.

"It's very discouraging," Maddon said. "He was swinging the bat about as well as anyone I've seen this season."

Tampa Bay put Pena on the 60-day disabled list and purchased the contract of first baseman Chris Richard from Triple-A Durham. Richard was in Durham, N.C., and immediately headed to New York.

He arrived just before the night game began and pinch hit in the eighth inning of the Rays' 11-1 loss. He walked in his first big league appearance since April 30, 2003, for Colorado against Cincinnati.

"I never thought I'd get another opportunity to get back," he said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4453195

Andy wrote:

Tampa Bay slugger Carlos Pena broke two fingers when he was hit by a CC Sabathia pitch in the opener of Monday's day-night doubleheader against the Yankees.

Pena was hurt on an 0-1 offering in the first inning of a 4-1 loss, with the ball hitting his left hand and then his bat.

"I knew when the ball hit me it was going to be bad," he said. "You don't take a 95 mph fastball on the finger and live to tell about it -- or the finger live to tell about it."

Pena broke the middle and index fingers. He will return to Florida on Tuesday and meet with the Rays medical staff before a determination is made whether he needs surgery.

Pena leads the AL with 39 homers and finished with 100 RBIs.

"I was crushed," he said. "It felt like you had taken my heart, thrown it around and stepped on it. That hurt more than the hit by pitch itself. I was really very much looking forward to the next three weeks. I wanted to keep putting it out there, tying to do the best I could. Now I have to wait another year."

Pena didn't even get to take first. He initially headed up the line, but plate umpire Jim Wolf checked with third base umpire Fieldin Culbreth, who signaled Pena had swung.

Pena was examined by trainer Ron Porterfield and manager Joe Maddon for several minutes, remained in the game and had a check swing for strike three. He held his hand as he walked from the plate and was replaced at first in the bottom half by Willy Aybar.

"When I was taking the dry swings, I knew it was bad, but I thought I could handle the pain. When I had the check swing, you know you have to stop all that weight. It really hurt," he said. "When I saw the X-rays, it was obvious that it was broken, almost in half."

A year after its surprise run to the AL East title, Tampa Bay has faded from contention. The Rays have lost five straight, matching their season high, and began the day seven games behind wild card-leading Boston.

Now they've lost their top power threat.

"It's very discouraging," Maddon said. "He was swinging the bat about as well as anyone I've seen this season."

Tampa Bay put Pena on the 60-day disabled list and purchased the contract of first baseman Chris Richard from Triple-A Durham. Richard was in Durham, N.C., and immediately headed to New York.

He arrived just before the night game began and pinch hit in the eighth inning of the Rays' 11-1 loss. He walked in his first big league appearance since April 30, 2003, for Colorado against Cincinnati.

"I never thought I'd get another opportunity to get back," he said.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4453195

The Suburban Avenger wrote:Not that they were banging on the door before this, but you can officially start shoveling dirt onto the Rays.