Rays" Carlos Pena Has 2 Hits to Celebrate Against Yankees PETERSBURG, Fla. - It is not often that a ballplayer must choose between these two moments and decide which is bigger - hitting a grand slam against C. C. Sabathia, or rocketing a one-bouncer against the wall for a game-ending hit against Mariano Rivera. But that was what Carlos Pena faced after he had done both in the Tampa Bay Rays" 7-6 victory Friday against the Yankees. Finally, he had an answer. "Rivera," he said. Then he hedged. It was not easy. Not only has a player not accomplished both, Pena also became the first left-handed hitter to hit a grand slam against Sabathia. Then again, coming into opening day, Rivera had converted 60 of 61 saves against the Rays - dominant even by his standards. Finally, Pena leaned toward the hit against Rivera, which he drove to the wall in left-center field with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. "That guy is unbelievable," Pena, the Rays" first baseman, said. Best closer in baseball. But then his thoughts shifted back to Sabathia, the Yankees" ace. "Obviously, Sabathia is very difficult on lefties," Pena said. Very difficult on me. So to be able to square him up and give the team an early lead was very satisfying, very gratifying. The early lead Pena staked the Rays to came when he sent a Sabathia pitch 428 feet into right field, building a quick 4-0 lead that the Yankees whittled away before taking a 6-5 lead into the ninth, with Rivera warming up. Rays Manager Joe Maddon recalled what he felt when he saw Rivera's first few pitches. Especially when you see the 91-92 m.p.h. cutter. Maddon, though, is an optimist. He relishes these types of games and the big moments they create. If given the opportunity, many other managers would opt out of the American League East, generally considered baseball's toughest division, but Maddon embraces it. "This is life in the fast lane," he said. I love it. I absolutely love it. You have to be on top of your game every night you play in this division. It's a blast. It's the best place to play. At the same time, Maddon balances optimism with realism. It is why he went to Pena 40 minutes before the game and told him he was moving him down in the lineup. Normally, Pena would bat fourth or fifth. But for this game, and especially for Sabathia, he was moving him to sixth. Pena was fine with the move. "You never know what's coming," Pena said of Maddon, who is known for his unorthodox moves. I love that. He's not afraid to try new things. He's not concerned about what the critics are going to say. I told him: "Joe, I'm ready. Let's go." " The move might have seemed to have lined up imperfectly in the first inning, when Pena - with only four hits in 35 previous at-bats against Sabathia - came to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded. Then he hit a grand slam. It would have been enough for anyone for one game. But there was Pena again, this time facing Rivera in the bottom of the ninth, again with the bases loaded. Although he is 33 and a major league veteran, Pena said his heart was pounding. Facing Rivera tends to do that. He's just one of those pitchers where you come back to the dugout scratching your head, like, what was that? Pena said. You think you saw the ball right down the middle and the next thing you know the bat is broken in a hundred pieces. It's one of those things where what your eyes are telling you is not the truth. He has that illusion with the ball. You swing where the ball is at, and it's not there anymore. This time, though, Pena swung, connected, and drove the ball to the wall, ending the game in the ninth with a bigger moment than the way he started it for the Rays in the first.