Wednesday, 4 a.m.
He has pitched in Detroit. He has pitched in Houston. He has pitched in New York.
But Tuesday night was the first time Justin Verlander, future Hall of Famer, has ever been taken to Paredes City.
Isaac Paredes hit two home runs and drove in five runs to lift the Rays to an 8-5 victory over the Mets and Verlander, the three-time Cy Young Award winner. The Rays chased Verlander from the game after five innings and six earned runs.
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Paredes, who had gone 14 games without a home run, barely cleared the home run line on his first shot, and his second barely stayed fair. Still, two home runs is two home runs.
On the season, the Rays now have 84 homers to lead the major leagues.
The Rays had a successful bullpen day with a strong opener from Jalen Beeks and a solid follow up by Yonny Chorinos. Three home runs -- one of them by Tampa's Pete Alonso -- narrowed the final score.
"(Paredes) had a big day, no doubt," said Rays' manager Kevin Cash. "You’re going into a tough matchup whenever you're facing the the Mets and Justin Verlander on the mound. Isaac picked us up in a big way,"
Harold Ramirez had three hits for the Rays. Paredes and Brandon Lowe each had two.
The Rays play the Mets again tonight at 7:10 p.m. Tampa Bay has not announced its starter. The Mets will start Kodai Senga.