The rage worked out this time for Pete Fairbanks and the Rays.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks

It’s not always easy for athletes to keep their composure in the heat of competition. Sometimes players hurt themselves and do damage to other things while taking their frustrations out. Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks went through a gauntlet of emotions on Thursday during Tampa’s win over the Minnesota Twins.

Fairbanks entered the game in the ninth inning with two runners on and the Rays leading by three. Minutes later the game was tied with one swing as Fairbanks blew his second save of the season.

Before the game was over, Fairbanks headed down to the visitor’s clubhouse and emptied his anger on a stool. It wasn’t until the 30-year-old was informed that he’d be tasked with pitching the 10th inning that he stopped his grown-man tantrum and strolled back out to the mound.

Fairbanks tossed a clean bottom of the 10th inning after the Rays retook the lead in the top of the inning. He earned his second win of the year and helped the Rays secure the series victory.

Fairbanks went through it during the series. He left Tuesday’s game with a thumb contusion on his right throwing hand. Then came the blown save and subsequent stool incident.

“It’s not existent anymore,” Fairbanks said, per ESPN. “But sometimes, you got to get it all out to go out there and put up another zero.”

Putting up zeros is something Fairbanks has done a lot lately. Following nearly a month-long stint on the injured list, Fairbanks has a 1.45 ERA since returning on May 11. He did not allow a run in his first 14 games back but has since given up three in his past four outings.

Overall this season Pete Fairbanks has a 3.51 ERA and 10 saves in 26 relief appearances.

Rays pitching uncharacteristically poor in 2024

Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Jose Siri (22) and left fielder Richard Palacios (1) and right fielder Jonny DeLuca (21) celebrate the win over the Minnesota Twins after ten innings at Target Field.Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
The bottom line these days in the MLB is that you need good pitching to survive. For the longest time, the Rays had one of the most consistent pitching staffs in the league. That is far from the case in 2024.

The Rays turned away from their opener approach this season and deployed a traditional rotation. As of June 21, four pitchers have 12 starts but the lowest ERA among the group is Zach Eflin’s 4.12. Only the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins have fewer wins from starters than Tampa Bay’s 14. No Rays pitcher has more than four wins.

Tampa ranked in the top five in team ERA in each of the last five seasons and in the top 10 every year since 2017. This year the Rays have a collective 4.44 ERA, ranked 24th in the league. Only four teams have allowed more earned runs than the Rays.

At 36-39, the Rays are 14 games behind the MLB-best New York Yankees for first place in the AL West. The division is a definite long shot, but the playoffs are not entirely out of the question. Tampa is five games out of a wild card spot with only two teams separating them from a postseason place.

There is a lot of baseball left to be played and the Rays have been here before. It’s easy to forget Tampa won 99 games last year and has been to the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. There’s a lot to be done to make that six straight, but it would be foolish to count out the Rays completely.