Rays pitcher Nathan Karns homers in 1-0 win over Phillies
Heading into Tuesday’s tilt against the Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Nathan Karns was 0-for-5 at the plate in his big-league career with three strikeouts.
Playing in the American League, Karns doesn’t get very many opportunities to prove himself with the bat, but an interleague road start at Citizens Bank Park would mean at least a couple more trips to the batter’s box.
Karns wasted no time getting his first career hit, and he did it in style. He hit a solo home run to left-center field off Phillies rookie right-hander Aaron Nola in the third inning in his first plate appearance of the game, to put the Rays up 1-0.
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How rare is it for an AL pitcher to go deep? Karns’ homer was the first by an AL pitcher since Baltimore Orioles left-hander Zach Britton hit one on July 3, 2011. Since interleague play began in 1997, Karns is the just 18th AL pitcher to hit a home run and joined the unforgettable Esteban Yan as the second Rays pitcher to clear the fence in a game.
His solo shot was also the only run scored by either team on the night as Tampa Bay won 1-0, which put Karns into even more exclusive company:
On a personal level, Karns told reporters after the game that it was his first home run in a game since 2006, when we has back in high school. Karns handled himself quite well on the mound too, throwing five shutout innings before giving way for the bullpen to finish the job.
Given that the Rays have the second-worst offense in the AL, maybe Karns has worked his way into pinch-hitting duties when he’s not pitching.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
