Goodbye, David Price

It was Game 7 of the 2008 American League Championship Series.

The Tampa Bay Rays had started their very first year of new colors, new attitude, and fresh new start. And it was working like a charm. Rising out of practically nowhere they took the AL crown and wound up in the playoffs, extremely unfamiliar territory for the Tampa Bay area. Florida was buzzing heavily as the butt of most David Letterman jokes was suddenly becoming a formidable threat. The only thing standing in the way of their first World Series berth was the dreaded and defending champion Boston Red Sox.

It was a tough, tough series and the deciding seventh game was going to be held at the Trop. On the top of the 8th all the bases were loaded with two outs, and Joe Maddon decides to go with a rookie pitcher that had just been called up just a few weeks ago.


David Price.


With nerves of steel, he strikes out the next batter, ending the threat, and bringing the Rays closer to the World Series. They prop him back up in the 9th inning and he manages to record consecutive outs after the leadoff man walked. The David Price legend was born.

David Price and Evan Longoria became the faces of the “new” franchise as they took Tampa to consecutive winning seasons, and coupled that with playoff births in 2010, 2011, and 2013. While Longoria was the calmer more relaxed superstar that year after year propels his team to successful heights, David Price was the powerhouse of emotion that showed the world his love for the game.

82-46 record. Over 1,000 strikeouts. CY Young Winner in the 2012 season. 4-time all-star. He has a grand repertoire of pitches including a devastating fastball and cutter. He has the ability to go deep into ballgames, and doesn’t back down from the more intimidating hitters. You have to practically pry the ball from his hands if you dared trying to take him out when there was still juice left in the tank. Best of all, he loves the big games; the playoff games and the rivalry games---even though he isn’t as clutch as we’d like.

David Price did give up 6 runs in the infamous final day of the 2011 season. He lost to Cliff Lee—twice in the same playoff series in 2010. In 2012 he lost another crucial playoff game---again against the Texas Rangers. But we were seeing someone that was rising in the ranks as a premiere pitcher. Even during 2012, his worst season, he still had glimpses of amazingness. He would finally break through the postseason curse in 2013 when he defeated the Texas Rangers in Game 163, in Arlington. Despite the rough clutch history, he will still be out there ready for his next shot at a win.

But of course, let’s not forget his love to take down the dreaded Red Sox. The Red Sox don’t like David Price, and Price despises the Red Sox. And he is the spark plug of the rivalry as he is usually involved during the larger rivalry-defining moments. One of my favorite David Price memories was his July 29th, 2013 game against the Red Sox.

David Price was on his way to a dominating complete game when a rain delay paused things in the 8th inning. When the game resumed, Joe Maddon cautiously pulled Price from the game after facing a batter---leaving an absolutely furious Price in tears on the bench because he wanted to finish the game so badly. His face said it all: he wanted the Red Sox on a platter. Ultimately the Rays won the game after a very close play at the plate that carried a lot of controversy, but Price’s reaction to exiting game shows why he was one of the most valuable assets in the game: he loves pitching, he loves winning, and loves finishing what he started.

The Rays could never afford to keep him, not if he wanted A-list money like Kershaw. And he is indeed one of the best pitchers in baseball and Lord knows how much more he would win if he had the run support of a superior offensive squad. The clock was ticking and we did indeed know that deep down Price was going to wear another uniform. The free agency is still wild and out of control and the concept of “buying championships” still rings in the air—despite all these low-budget teams making good progress like the Rays, Athletics, and even the money-strapped Miami Marlins.

What hurts more was that we couldn’t get much more out of him because we can barely afford most of the players out there. All we can afford is prospects or players with most of their salary being paid by the team that wants them gone. David Price was arguably the first pitcher Rays fans were watching evolve from rookie into pure all-star quality. Surely there was Scott Kazmir for that 1-2 season run but he topped out too soon (although his resurgence is a very nice story). David Price however looked like the best was yet to come. Do remember it took Pedro Martinez 6-7 years before he became the legendary pitcher that we all know. Not saying he will be a Pedro but with a little extra tweaking he can be a Top 3 pitcher for the next several years, if he isn’t that already.

One of my personal fundamental rules in sports is that you never trade the face of the franchise, or one of the faces of the franchise unless you hit rock bottom. Cespedes left Oakland and although the team might be better for it on paper, who knows if the heart of the team is still there. The absence of David Price from the Rays locker room on the other hand, is going to be a hole left on the team that may not be filled up for quite a while. Price is one of the special pitchers that you don’t see every day. He will be fantastic no matter where he goes---although I can definitely see him thriving with the Cardinals. The Rays on the other hand, I am not really even sure what the future is going to bring. Who can take his place as the leader of the pitchers? Chris Archer doesn’t seem ready, Hellickson and Cobb are too quiet, and Matt Moore spends too much time on the DL.

To be quite frank, you will be missed David Price, and I am not sure we will find another guy like you within the next decade to play in this organization; whether it’s here in Florida or up in Montreal. But wherever you go, I will surely be there rooting for your success.




Unless you join the Yankees…………………………………………….