It was the top of the ninth, the game was tied at one, with the Rays playing in Seattle. Felix Hernandez had delivered eight solid innings for the Mariners before J.J. Putz was brought in to preserve the tie. His first pitch resulted in a lineout from Carl Crawford. Coming up to the the plate next was Evan Longoria, the Rays rookie phenom who had led the team to first place in the American League East.
The count quickly reached 0-2, so Longoria would have to protect on anything close.