Rays lose to Orioles 22-8 on June 28, 2025, in a historic collapse. After taking a 6-0 lead, Ryan Pepiot and the bullpen imploded. Read how it happened.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
For a brief, glorious moment on Saturday, it felt like the Rays were about to make a statement. Three home runs, a 6-0 lead in the second inning, and the division-leading Orioles were on the ropes. But what followed was not a statement, but a historic unraveling, a complete system failure that ended in a staggering 22-8 defeat that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
The defeat marked the first time in MLB history a team won by 14+ runs after trailing by six.
The top of the second inning was pure electricity. It was the kind of offensive explosion fans have been craving. Jonathan Aranda, Josh Lowe, and Brandon Lowe all went deep in a six-run frame that silenced the Baltimore crowd. The bats were alive, the energy was palpable, and a crucial road win seemed well within reach. It was, unfortunately, the high point of a day that would soon spiral into a nightmare.
The good feelings didn't last long. Starter Ryan Pepiot, staked to a comfortable lead, couldn't escape the bottom of the second, surrendering four runs before getting the hook. That was the first crack in the dam. The bullpen, tasked with navigating the final seven-plus innings, proceeded to crumble entirely, allowing 18 runs. The turning point came in the sixth when Eric Orze served up a go-ahead homer, and from there, the floodgates burst open.
This wasn't just a bad loss; it was a historically bad loss. The Orioles became the first team in the entire history of the American and National Leagues to win a game by 14 or more runs after having trailed by six. Baltimore's 22 runs, powered by huge nights from Gary Sanchez (4 RBIs) and Gunnar Henderson (4 hits, HR), fell just one shy of their franchise record. The final indignity came in the eighth inning, when infielder José Caballero was sent to the mound to absorb the final blows, surrendering six more runs in a scene that perfectly encapsulated the disastrous night.
There's no sugarcoating this one. A 22-8 loss where you make the wrong kind of history is a gut punch to the players, the staff, and the fans. The only thing to do now is flush it. The Rays have to find a way to completely forget this game ever happened and come back tomorrow with a clean slate. The bullpen's performance is a massive red flag, but one game, no matter how catastrophic, doesn't define a season. The focus now shifts to salvaging the series finale and proving this historic collapse was an aberration, not a sign of things to come.
