Fernando Perez '01 Heads to World Series

Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Fernando Perez '01 was called up to the major leagues on August 31 and helped the Tampa Bay Rays go from worst to first as the team won baseball's American League East Division title after finishing in last place a year ago. Perez, a switch-hitting outfielder with great speed, appeared in 23 games during the regular season, batting .250 with three home runs and five stolen bases.

Perez was a member of Tampa Bay's playoff roster and contributed to their winning the American League championship as well. Inserted into Game 2 of their series against the Boston Red Sox as a pinch-runner in the 11th inning, Perez raced home with the winning run on a short sacrifice fly as the Rays posted a 9-8 victory. He is the first Lion on a World Series team roster since Gene Larkin '84, who drove in the winning run for the Minnesota Twins in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series.

Look for a feature on Perez in an upcoming issue of CCT. Meanwhile, for a look at Perez when he was in the minor leagues, go to www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/nov05/features3.php.
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