Michael Grove’s last appearance in a Major League uniform came 630 days ago, wearing a Dodgers uniform, when he recorded one out to finish the eighth inning of a lopsided loss to the Padres in Game 2 of the National League Division Series. The next day, Grove was removed from the Dodgers’ NLDS roster. The next spring, he underwent surgery on his right shoulder to repair a torn labrum. Eight months later, he was squeezed off the Dodgers’ roster and let loose into free agency. Frustrated by the lack of progress in his recovery and forced to find a new home, Grove wasn’t always so sure he’d make it back. Then the Rays came calling, setting in motion the sequence of events that led Grove to the mound on Saturday night at Tropicana Field. The right-hander kept his emotions in check and delivered the outs Tampa Bay needed, breezing through three innings while striking out four batters in the Rays’ fourth straight win, a 4-2 decision over the D-backs. “Honestly, kind of throughout the entire outing, I found myself getting a little emotional at times,” Grove said afterward. “But I'm happy to get that one out of the way and keep going forward.” The win improved the Rays’ record to 47-33, putting them percentage points ahead of the 48-34 Yankees (.588 to .585) for the best record in the American League, and first place in the AL East for the first time since June 12. Grove earned his first Major League win since June 7, 2024, after retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced. He allowed just one hit, finished each of his strikeouts with sliders and needed only 34 pitches (26 strikes) to complete his longest big league outing in more than two years. Rays manager Kevin Cash said he gave the relievers a “heads up” in Friday’s pre-series meeting that Saturday would be a traditional bullpen game, as the Rays pushed back Shane McClanahan’s scheduled start to manage the left-hander’s innings. They were clearly up to the challenge. “I think it's a responsibility that we take on as a whole,” closer Bryan Baker said. “Going into a bullpen day, you try not to treat it too differently, but it is kind of cool to seal the win as just bullpen guys -- and rub it in the starters' faces for the next couple days.”
