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Ramirez walk-off hit lifts White Sox over Rays

Aug 24, 2008 - 11:30 PM By Rory Spears PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago White Sox stole a game from the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, benefiting from a blown call by an old friend - umpire Doug Eddings.

Alexei Ramirez drove a bases-loaded single into right field in the 10th inning to lift the White Sox to a 6-5 victory over the Rays.

Eddings, whose controversial call helped give Chicago a victory over Anaheim in the 2005 American League Championship Series, did it again almost three years later.

"(Doug) and I will be forever linked in history because of that play (in the 2005 ALCS)," White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. "Now we might be linked again because of two plays, I guess."

Pierzynski was tagged out in a rundown in the 10th but was awarded third base after Eddings said Tampa Bay third baseman Willy Aybar interfered with him. After a lengthy argument by Rays manager Joe Maddon and a conference between the umpires, the call was upheld.

"The first thing I thought of was to get somebody close enough to me where I could touch them," Pierzynski said. "When you are not a fast runner, you have to think of things quickly to save yourself from bad baserunning."

Maddon, who was a coach for the Angels in the 2005 ALCS, had no trouble remembering the controversy involving Pierzynski and Eddings that occurred.

When told by reporters that video replay appeared to show Pierzynski throwing a forearm in the direction of Aybar, Maddon did not disagree.

"I don't doubt that," Maddon said. "I told that to the umpires. I have a lot of respect for that group of umpires, I have known them a long time. But I told them they got that call wrong."

Two batters later, Ramirez drove in Pierzynski with a line-drive single off righthander Jason Hammel (4-4).

"I am just trying to put the ball in play," Ramirez said through an interpreter. "In that situation, I am not trying to do too much."

Despite the loss, Tampa Bay (79-50) remained in first place in the AL East, 4 1/2 games ahead of the Boston Red Sox (75-55).

Carlos Quentin hit his major league-leading 36th home run and Jim Thome added his 534th career blast - tying him for 15th with Jimmy Foxx on the all-time list - as Chicago salvaged the finale of the three-game series.

With the win, Chicago (74-55) regained first place in the AL Central by one-half game over the Minnesota Twins (74-56), who lost to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Tampa Bay jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, when Carlos Pena reached on a two-out error by first baseman Nick Swisher. Rocco Baldelli then pounded his second home run of the season high into the left field bleachers.

Akinori Iwamura's RBI single scored Ben Zobrist for a 3-0 bulge.

Chicago responded in the fourth inning with four straight hits, including a two-run homer by Quentin that cut the deficit to one. After Jermaine Dye doubled off the center field wall, Thome homered to give the White Sox a 4-3 lead.

Tampa Bay pulled even at 4-4 in the sixth, when Pena scored on an error by shortstop Orlando Cabrera.

"The fight in our group is spectacular," Maddon said. "We are going to have games like this. I like the way we came back. It's just unfortunate the game was concluded this way."

Pena then drove in a run with two-out double in the seventh inning off Mark Buehrle, who was denied his fourth straight win.

"I think it was one of those games where we looked like we did in 2005," Buehrle said. "We had a bunch of breaks go against us, then in the end, things changed, which was big because we didn't deserve to be swept."

The White Sox tied it at 5-5 with two outs in the ninth.

With a full count, pinch hitter Paul Konerko singled to left field off closer Dan Wheeler. The throw to the plate by Zobrist beat pinch runner Brian Anderson by several steps but bounced away from catcher Shawn Riggans.

"It was a perfect throw, but the ball came out of my mitt," Riggans said. "The game should have been over. And then to lose in the end, it's really tough."