ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Bryan Baker of the Tampa Bay Rays pitches against the Cleveland Guardians during the ninth inning at Tropicana Field on July 26, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
In the aftermath of a 3-0 win over the Rangers on Wednesday evening, Ryan Vilade said he did not want to face Bryan Baker. The Rays' infielder/outfielder shares a clubhouse with the righthanded closer, so stepping into the batter's box against Baker is not a concern. For Rays' opponents, facing Baker has been a nightmare in 2026.
"To see 'Big Bake' running in from the bullpen with the lights (flashing on and off) and (music) playing, it gets everyone fired up," said Vilade, whose exceptional work (9 HR, 35 RBI, .804 OPS) in a part-time role has often aided the Rays in getting to their closer. "I'm glad he's on our team and whenever we get to the ninth with him on the ***** p, we feel pretty good."
For good reason. The 6-foot-6 Baker nailed down his 30th save of the season Thursday afternoon in the series finale with Texas to tie with Cleveland's Cade Smith for the MLB lead. The 31-year-old heads into a weekend series versus the visiting White Sox having converted 19 straight save opportunities, a stretch that began May 17. During that span, which totals 24 appearances, Baker has allowed one run. That was a solo homer to Kansas City's Josh Rojas on June 24, an outing in which Baker shrugged it off to record his 20th save.
"I have been feeding off the catchers and going for what they see and what they've kind of seen the whole game and let the defenders work behind me," said Baker, when asked about the run he is on. "It's been a lot more (pitching to) contact lately, which as long as there's zeros are on board, I'm good."
#rays #ninth #work
In the aftermath of a 3-0 win over the Rangers on Wednesday evening, Ryan Vilade said he did not want to face Bryan Baker. The Rays' infielder/outfielder shares a clubhouse with the righthanded closer, so stepping into the batter's box against Baker is not a concern. For Rays' opponents, facing Baker has been a nightmare in 2026.
"To see 'Big Bake' running in from the bullpen with the lights (flashing on and off) and (music) playing, it gets everyone fired up," said Vilade, whose exceptional work (9 HR, 35 RBI, .804 OPS) in a part-time role has often aided the Rays in getting to their closer. "I'm glad he's on our team and whenever we get to the ninth with him on the ***** p, we feel pretty good."
For good reason. The 6-foot-6 Baker nailed down his 30th save of the season Thursday afternoon in the series finale with Texas to tie with Cleveland's Cade Smith for the MLB lead. The 31-year-old heads into a weekend series versus the visiting White Sox having converted 19 straight save opportunities, a stretch that began May 17. During that span, which totals 24 appearances, Baker has allowed one run. That was a solo homer to Kansas City's Josh Rojas on June 24, an outing in which Baker shrugged it off to record his 20th save.
"I have been feeding off the catchers and going for what they see and what they've kind of seen the whole game and let the defenders work behind me," said Baker, when asked about the run he is on. "It's been a lot more (pitching to) contact lately, which as long as there's zeros are on board, I'm good."
#rays #ninth #work
3 days ago
