Driscoll's debut doesn't disappoint as family gets treated to MLB firsts

ST. PETERSBURG -- Logan Driscoll spent what he called a “long few days” waiting for his Major League debut. The Rays’ new catcher reported to Tropicana Field on Saturday as part of the taxi squad, joined the active roster on Sunday and watched Monday’s game from the bench before finally finding his name in the starting lineup on Tuesday night.

Driscoll’s Major League debut was worth the wait.

Driscoll caught an excellent six-inning start from left-hander Jeffrey Springs, guided righty Drew Rasmussen through two dominant innings, then navigated the ninth inning with relievers Edwin Uceta and Garrett Cleavinger in the Rays’ 2-1 win over the Twins.

What could be better? How about also hitting a game-winning single? Driscoll did that in the fourth inning, smacking a grounder that deflected off first baseman Carlos Santana and into right field to drive in Jonathan Aranda and put Tampa Bay ahead for good.

• 'A guy that does a lot of homework': Driscoll gets big league chance

“It was a great experience,” Driscoll said afterward, having celebrated the moment in the clubhouse with his teammates, then on the field with his wife and family.

“Lucky to have the opportunity, and I was grateful the way the game turned out. We got the win, and that's the most important thing.”

The timing turned out to be opportune for the 26-year-old’s big league debut. His parents, brother and sister have been here since Saturday and plan to stick around, perhaps even following the club to Baltimore and Philadelphia after this.

But Driscoll said his wife, Isabel -- who had to skip a friend’s wedding when she learned of his promotion -- is going back to work on Wednesday.

“They're all very excited, saying how awesome it was,” Driscoll said. “Really grateful that I could do that for them -- and, yeah, that they stuck around.”

Driscoll put on a show for them. His key hit came off Twins starter David Festa, and top prospect Junior Caminero jumped around in front of the Rays’ dugout to make sure they secured it for safekeeping. Driscoll said the ball will land in “a special place” in his house.

Perhaps more importantly, Driscoll wowed his coaches and teammates with his performance defensively. With the rookie behind the plate, the Rays held the Twins to six hits and two walks while striking out nine. They did so efficiently, too, throwing only 119 pitches over nine innings.

“[Hitting coach Chad Mottola] came out after the first inning … and just said how poised and confident he looked behind the plate,” manager Kevin Cash said. “Congrats to him. That's a pretty special debut.”

Driscoll said the past few days in the clubhouse helped him feel at ease and comfortable. Familiarity may have worked in Driscoll’s favor in his debut, too, considering the pitchers he worked with.

Springs and Rasmussen both spent time rehabbing at Triple-A Durham earlier this season, and Driscoll caught each of them three times. Uceta also spent time with Durham this year. Springs credited Driscoll for preparing well, handling in-game adjustments, communicating between innings and the way he caught.

“To see the comfort level and his ability to pitch-call, and frame and receive, it was a really solid day for the kid,” Rasmussen added. “I think he's going to have the opportunity to really help impact our team moving forward.”

Driscoll was just as complimentary of them.

“Those guys are really good at keeping an open dialogue in between innings of what we want to accomplish out there,” Driscoll said. “And they were electric tonight, so they made my job easy.”

Indeed, Springs continued to impress in his seventh start back from Tommy John surgery. The left-hander sailed through six innings for the first time this season and allowed only a homer to Santana to pick up his first quality start since April 8, 2023.

Springs allowed four hits and two walks while striking out four. Cash said before the game that the Rays wanted to start letting Springs ramp up his pitch count over the final month after he threw no more than 87 in his first six starts.

Springs didn’t even have to run up his pitch count to get through six innings against the Twins, though. He picked up 18 outs with only 82 pitches.

“Our bullpen’s worked a lot lately. I had the extra day coming into this one, so I knew I needed to try to give them a blow and I had to go at least six,” Springs said. “That's another step in the right direction, trying to continue to build off of that.”

It was an important performance for Springs and a special one for Driscoll, one he might not appreciate until he wakes up Wednesday morning.

“I think it's going to be a night of processing it,” Driscoll said, “and then bounce back tomorrow.”