Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Jae Seo was a regular Seo Young yesterday.
Which is interesting, because he hasn't exactly burned up the American League the past two seasons.
Since being traded to the Devil Rays from the Lo s Angeles Dodgers last June, Seo has struggled, recording just four wins in 24 career starts.
This season, the native of Kwanju, South Korea, has the highest earned-run average (8.82) and opponents average (.386) among AL starters.
But it has been a completely different story against the Blue Jays, where he has been a regular Sandy Koufax. In two starts last season, Seo allowed just two earned runs in 13 innings facing Toronto, but got a pair of no decisions.
Yesterday, at the Rogers Centre, Seo pitched a seven-inning gem, giving up zero runs and just two hits, while striking out seven batters as the Devil Rays defeated the Blue Jays 2-1. Seo improved his record to 2-3 and won his first game on the road since July 19.
Seo retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced.
BRILLIANT FLASHES
"I don't know," the personable right-hander said, when asked about his mastery over the Jays. "It's just one of those things."
Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said that the Devil Rays have seen flashes of brilliance from Seo since he came over from the Dodgers, but a lack of run support and fleeting confidence has resulted in an record that is nothing to write home about. Seo made 16 starts for Tampa Bay last season and had the lowest run support among AL starters with at least 15 starts. The Rays scored 2.86 runs-per-nine innings behind him.
Maddon said when Seo has command of his fastball, which he did against the Blue Jays, he is almost unhittable, especially when he can get his breaking pitch across for strikes.
"We've seen this in the past," Maddon said. "But Junior's a young man, he's not an oldy and hopefully this will be a confidence builder."
The 25,453 fans at the Rogers Centre were treated to a splendid pitching dual between Seo -- making his 100th major league start -- and Toronto's Shaun Marcum, who yielded zero hits in six innings.
