Litsch Locks Up Rays' Bats
Published: Aug 1, 2007
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ST. PETERSBURG - The local boy was a lot more than good Tuesday night.
Jesse Litsch, the Pinellas Park native and former Devil Rays bat boy who has become an unlikely standout in the Toronto rotation, came home and stuck it to his former employers in a 2-0 Blue Jays win.
The redheaded kid who used to be considered a good-luck charm by the denizens of the home clubhouse at Tropicana Field worked 6 2/3 scoreless innings to delight family and friends on hand, if not necessarily himself.
Following the victory that evened his record (4-4) and the Blue Jays' (53-53), Litsch repeatedly downplayed any assertions that what he had just done might have been a big deal.
"It's my job to be out here," he said. "I'm home, but when I'm on the field it's a different story."
In this town, anyway, it's a heck of a story. Litsch worked for the Rays from 2000-02 while attending Dixie Hollins High, first in the community relations department and later as a bat boy. The Blue Jays ended up taking him in the 24th round of the 2004 draft, but the Rays aren't likely to miss out on any future clubhouse personnel with similar aspirations.
"I'm going to have all our present bat boys come out here and throw a bullpen just to see what we've got," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "We don't want that to ever happen again."
As unique as the circumstances were, the way Litsch pitched Tuesday was nothing new for the 22-year-old rookie. It was the fourth time in five starts since he was recalled from the minors July 3 that he allowed one earned run or less. He has a 1.71 ERA in that span, lowering his overall ERA to 3.47.
Not bad for a kid fast-tracked to the majors because of the injuries that have wracked the Blue Jays' pitching staff all season. His first call to the majors from Double-A New Hampshire came when Roy Halladay went on the disabled list, and the current stint coincided with A.J. Burnett going on the shelf. Given an unexpected opportunity, Litsch has put together the kind of run that might prompt a team to keep him around for a while.
"He's got a lot of confidence, he really does," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "You're not going to find many guys more confident than he is. … He came here to the big leagues ahead of the schedule that we'd planned on and he's done a heck of a job."
While Litsch got the better of the pitching matchup in his homecoming, Rays starter Edwin Jackson wasn't far behind. His record fell to 2-11 even though he surrendered just one run - unearned - in six innings to bounce back from a rough outing last week in Baltimore.
Take away the Vernon Wells grounder leading off the second inning that Rays shortstop Ben Zobrist couldn't handle, and Jackson might have matched Litsch with a shutout performance. The unearned tally that sprang from Zobrist's error was the only run scored by the Blue Jays until a pair of doubles off Grant Balfour in the eighth brought home some insurance.
Despite a 3-for-4 night for Delmon Young, Litsch and relievers Scott Downs and Jeremy Accardo were able to make that slim lead stand up.
Litsch said he wasn't exactly sure how many people came out to cheer him on, but his manager noticed at least one after he lifted Litsch with two outs and the bases empty in the seventh.
"I took him out and some guy behind the dugout was chiseling me pretty good," Gibbons said. "I asked [Litsch] after the game if that was his dad."
It wasn't, but Litsch had plans for Tuesday night that wouldn't have been practical anywhere but his hometown. He was taking his dad to dinner.
