Major League Baseball

Former Ranger gives Rays a lift

Published Oct. 11, 2010 10:09 p.m. ET

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ARLINGTON - No hard feelings, just hard fastballs. That was Joaquin Benoit's mantra as he stood in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

For seven seasons, the stadium's home clubhouse was where the hard throwing right-hander dressed after games. But the Rangers gave up on the organization's longest-tenured player at the time after rotator cuff surgery forced him to miss the 2009 season.

The Tampa Bay Rays signed him as a free agent just before the 2010 season.

Benoit, who quickly established himself as the Rays' set-up man, rewarded them with 12/3 innings of perfect relief work Saturday that made him the winning pitcher in the Rays' 6-3 victory.

He entered in the bottom of the seventh with the Rangers leading, 2-1.

Benoit got two fly-ball outs. And after the Rays took a 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth, Benoit retired the top of the Rangers' batting order - Elvis Andrus, Michael Young and Josh Hamilton - in the bottom of the inning.

He said he relied mostly on fastballs with an occasional slider thrown in.

As he had most of the season, in which he pitched 601/3 inning in 63 appearances and delivered a 1.34 earned run average, Benoit gave way to closer Rafael Soriano in the ninth inning.

"Winning is satisfying anywhere," Benoit said. "This is as good as anywhere."

Benoit said he didn't notice if the crowd cheered or booed him when he entered the game.

He added that he has no animosity towards the Rangers for releasing him.

"I wasn't really disappointed," he said. "I always think it is the team's call in a case like that."

He said he is happy with his role for the Rays.

"It worked out good for me and good for them [ Rangers]," Benoit said. "They are still up 2-1 in the series."

Someone pointed out that the Rangers could have used him in the eighth inning Saturday instead of turning to their closer Neftali Feliz. Benoit allowed a small smile to cross his face.

"The pressure is on them now," he said. "They don't want to go back to Tampa with the series tied at two games.

"But I do," he said.

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