Rays pitcher Matt Moore extended his record to 7-0 and tied David Price’s franchise record for 8 consecutive wins as a pitcher. Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Manager Joe Maddon invited a Merengue band to keep spirits high in the Rays’ clubhouse before the game, and his plan worked as Matt Moore kept his hot streak alive on Tuesday night. Extending his record to 7-0, Moore and the Rays beat the Boston Red Sox in a 5-3 victory.

The first inning got off to a rocky start for Moore, who hit Boston’s first batter, Jacoby Ellsbury, with a pitch. Later, David Ortiz hit a three run homer, giving the Red Sox an easy 3-0 lead. However, Moore bounced back quickly and struck out all three batters in the top of the second inning.

The Rays’ bats lit up in the fourth inning as Luke Scott’s double off of Red Sox pitcher John Lackey allowed Evan Longoria to score the Rays’ first run of the night. Thanks to RBI singles by both Jose Molina and Matt Joyce, the Rays were able to put four more runs on the board by the end of the inning, putting them in the lead 5-3.

In his sixth and final inning of the night, Moore walked Dustin Pedroia but proceeded to strike out the inning’s final two batters. However, the seventh inning proved to be a bit more troublesome for reliever Jake McGee, who walked two of the four batters he faced, before pitching coach Jim Hickey replaced him with reliever Josh Lueke.

Matt Moore made headlines early this season by becoming only the sixth pitcher in major league history to finish April with a 5-0 or better record as a 24-year-old. In Tuesday night’s game, Moore gave up 3 runs in 6 innings, with 2 walks and 8 strikeouts, giving him an ERA of 2.44. The victory also marks Moore’s 8^th consecutive win, dating back to his final win last season, allowing him to tie David Price for the franchise record of 8 consecutive wins by a pitcher.

The Rays’ pitching staff racked up 12 K’s against Boston, while the Red Sox’s staff only managed to throw five strikeouts. Rays catcher Jose Molina had a spectacular night, going 3 for 3 with 2 RBIs.

After Tuesday night’s win, the Rays are now only a game and a half behind the third place Red Sox in the AL East division. The win is also the Rays’ sixth consecutive win, and Tuesday night was the first game of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field.

The Mets’ Matt Harvey pitched 6.2 perfect innings on Tuesday night and was the first Met to do so since Rick Reed did in 1998 against the Devil Rays. (Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports)

Every major league pitcher dreams of pitching a perfect game and joining an elite list of only 23 pitchers who have accomplished the rare feat in their career. For 6.2 perfect innings on Tuesday night, the New York Mets’ Matt Harvey thought his time had come. Unfortunately for Harvey, an infield hit of the Chicago White Sox’s Alex Rios ruined Harvey’s streak, but the game kept fans on their toes as they witnessed a magical night in baseball.

Harvey was the first Mets pitcher to reach this spectacular feat since Rick Reed pitched 6.2 perfect innings for the Mets against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998. While the D-Rays kept Reed from recording a perfect game, it was still a thrilling sight for fans to take in, well, for Mets fans anyway. Here’s a look back at Reed’s almost perfect night on June 8, 1998, at Shea Stadium.

Reed, 33, at the time of the game, was a pitcher with a very interesting career arc. A 26th round pick by the Pirates in 1986, Reed found his way to the major leagues two years later but could never establish himself in the major leagues. He went 3-7 with a 3.68 ERA in 100.1 innings pitched with the Royals in 1992, but that was the only time in the first 11 years of his professional career that he pitched as many as 55 innings in the majors. But after a big season with their Triple-A Norfolk affiliate in 1996 at age 31, the Mets decided to give Reed a shot in 1997 and the results were incredible. Reed quickly emerged as one of the aces of the Mets’ staff, going 13-9 with a 2.89 ERA in 31 starts, 2 relief appearances, and 208.1 innings pitched. 1998 saw him go 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA in 212.1 innings pitched, and he never looked better than he did on that June night at Shea Stadium.

The start of the game immediately stood out for Rick Reed. A pitcher who didn’t strike out many batters and allowed a lot of home runs as a flyball pitcher, Rick retired six in a row to begin the game, the three of the outs via the strikeout and the other three on the ground.  While Reed rolled, Devil Rays pitcher Dennis Springer had a shaky start, giving the Mets the upper hand with a wild pitch and even giving up a hit to Reed before the Mets scored two runs in the second inning.

Rick Reed pitched 6.2 perfect innings for the Mets against the Devil Rays in 1998. (Credit: www.going9baseball.com)

Reed finally reverted to his flyball tendencies in the 5th, recording all three outs through the air, but he struck out two more in the 6th and it was clear that he had something special going, not allowing a single baserunner while striking out 8 in the first 6 innings. Then Quinton McCracken and Miguel Cairo went down on a popout and a groundout respectively as Reed was perfect through 6.2 innings. But then Wade Boggs came to the plate and the perfect game quickly came crashing down. Reed’s attempt to reach a perfect game was squelched as Boggs doubled, and Fred McGriff followed drawing a rare walk from Reed who walked just 1.2 batters per 9 innings in 1998. Reed was obviously rattled after losing his perfecto, but suddenly the Mets had to worry about winning the game as the tying run came to the plate in the form of Paul Sorrento. But Reed rebounded to strike him out and keep at least his shutout intact.

Still down 3-0 in the 8th, the D-Rays got back-to-back singles from Dave Martinez and Mike DeFelice to bring the tying run to the plate once again. But Reed refused to let his outing by marred, retiring the next three batters before ending his outing with a perfect 9th to cap off his shutout effort. Reed went all nine innings allowing just 3 hits, striking out 10 while walking 1. It was the only time in all of 1998 that he threw a shutout or struck out 10 batters, but it was just one highlight as part of an outstanding season. Reed beat a D-Rays pitching staff that wasn’t nearly as dominant but pitched well enough to win on a different night, with starter Springer and relievers Scott Aldred and Esteban Yan combining to allow just 3 runs, 2 earned, on 7 hits in the game, striking out 5 while walking 1. And although the D-Rays offense were unable to put up any runs on the scoreboard, they still played a part in history by keeping Reed from making bigger history with a perfect game or no-hitter.

Ironically, it wasn’t until the Rays became one of the best teams in baseball that they became susceptible to perfect games and no-hitters, falling victim to Mark Buehrle, Dallas Braden, Edwin Jackson, and Felix Hernandez in the last five years. Also ironic was that it not during the Mets’ great run from 1997 to 2000 where they won 88 or more games each year punctuated by a World Series berth in 2000 that they nailed down their first no-hitter but in 2012, when Johan Santana dominated the St. Louis Cardinals to finally get the Mets franchise their first no-no. No-hitters are a crazy thing–anyone can throw one on any given outing, and any team, even one amidst a run as good as any team in baseball, could fall victim to one before they know it.

With this feat under his belt and most of the season yet to be played, the baseball world will definitely be watching Matt Harvey if they were not already. Mets fans and simply baseball fans know that magic could be in the air anytime Harvey takes the mound. And with some awfully good pitchers on the Rays, fans can hope as well that one of the Rays’ starting five will give them a little magic of their own this season as well. After seven no-hitters were thrown in 2012, not one has been thrown so far in 2013 after Harvey’s attempt was foiled. Following all the no-hitters thrown in recent years, the question is obvious: who’s next?

Prospect Wil Myers is expected to bolster the Rays’ lineup one day, but first the Rays must decided how to handle his contract. (Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

The Rays have a few options when it comes to offering Myers a contract, and Jim Bowden from ESPN.com addressed this recently. According to Bowden, the Rays could call up Myers this season to help with their quest to return to the postseason or keep Myers in the minor leagues this season to save money. If the Rays wanted to call up Myers, they could go ahead and sign him to a long-term deal, which removes the cost of Myers being eligible for arbitration in the future, but offer him less money since he has not played in a single major league game. If the Rays decide to keep Myers with the Triple-A Durham Bulls all season, it delays them from having to pay him millions soon and gives them an extra year to have him under contract if they sign him next season. Myers is currently hitting .275 with 5 doubles, 3 homers, and 17 RBI in 28 games.

Bowden looked back at the contracts of Rays third baseman Evan Longoria and starting pitcher Matt Moore, who both signed long-term contracts in 2008 and 2011 shortly after their MLB debuts. Longoria played in only six major league games before signing a $17.5 million, six-year contract, while Moore posted a 2.89 ERA in only three appearances with the Rays before signing a five-year, $14 million contract.  While Myers has yet to make his debut, Bowden thinks that the potential Myers has shown proves that he deserves the same type of contracts that Longoria and Moore received.

“Myers has that kind of talent and deserves the same kind of approach. His bat speed, path to the ball and loud sweet spot contact the other way are elite. Everything he’s done to this point projects him as an impact run producer,” Bowden said.

However, if the Rays do not sign Myers to a long-term contract early in his big league career, Myers could possibly make millions off of arbitration if he qualifies as a “Super Two.” Bowden explains a “Super Two” as “a player with at least two years of service time but less than three is eligible for arbitration if he has accumulated at least 86 days of service during the immediately preceding season and ranks in the top 22 percent in total service in the two-to-three class. In other words, a Super Two earns a fourth year of arbitration in addition to the customary three.”

If Myers lives up to the expectations people have placed on him, he will become the Rays’ next star and significantly augment their lineup.  With this success comes a high price tag that the Rays cannot afford, unless they sign Myers to a contract early in his career for a lower amount. While Myers deserves a contract that reflects how much his talent his worth, the Rays must look out for their financial interests, considering Myers has not had a chance to live up to the hype and the Rays’ pockets are not as deep as other ball clubs. Other factors, such as injuries, could also keep Myers’ career from taking off like expected.

Although the Rays and their fans want to see Myers perform well and soon at the Trop, some very calculated decisions need to be made about how ready he is to play in the big leagues and how much money the Rays are willing to dish out for him. Will an extension be the final push that brings him to the major leagues.