Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

MAJOR League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays made it to the World Series for the first time in franchise history and there’s one Pinoy athlete on the team who is playing an integral part in the teams success.

FilAm Jason Bartlett is the starting shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The 29-year-old Northern California native has been playing in the Major Leagues for the past four years. Like San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum and Gino Espineli not many people know that Bartlett is Filipino.

"My mom is [Filipino]. I’m 50 percent," said Bartlett to the Asian Journal before a game against the Oakland Athletics earlier in the season. "Like I said here in Oakland, I have a lot of family that live here and they are probably in the stands right now."

Bartlett grew up in Stockton, California

 before moving on to the University of Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship. The San Diego Padres drafted Bartlett in the 13th round of the 2001 MLB amateur draft before trading him a month later to the Minnesota

Twins for outfielder Brian Buchanan. The Twins called up the 6’0", 185-pound Barlett to the Majors in 2004, where he played for four seasons before being traded again at the end of 2007 to the Rays.

The Tampa Bay Rays were the worst team in 2007, but Bartlett played a pivotal role for the Rays turnaround this season.

According to Fox Sports, Bartlett’s "glove work at shortstop has helped shore up the Tampa Bay infield defense, ending the days of defensive mediocrity at such a crucial position for the Rays. He is a solid stopgap." Bartlett also hit for an average of .286, 1 homerun, 37 RBI’s and stole 20 bases during the baseball season.

During a game against the Oakland Athletics back in July, Bartlett was confident the Rays would make the playoffs.

"We have some good talent," said Bartlett to the Asian Journal. "We’re all putting it together…Some guys are going to step up and it’s going to be the first year we make it to the playoffs."

The team not only made it to the playoffs, the Rays also won the American League Pennant besting the defending World Series champions Boston Red Sox. In 2007, the Rays lost 96 games. This season the Rays won 97 games to capture the American League East title (considered by many baseball pundits the hardest division in the Major Leagues), before beating the Chicago White Sox in the first round of the playoffs and Boston Red Sox in the American League Championship Series to make it to the World Series.

The Rays went on to the World Series but lost against the Philadelphia Phillies in five games.

In game five of the World Series, Bartlett will be known as the guy who made the crucial out trying to give his team the lead. With the game tied 3-3 and 2 outs in the top of the seventh inning, Bartlett was on second base when teammate Akinori Iwamura hit an infield single toward center. Phillies second baseman Chase Utley backhanded the ball, and rather than throwing to first base to get Iwamura, he faked it and gunned it to home plate instead where an aggressive Bartlett was sliding for the go-ahead-run.

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz caught Utley’s one-hop throw and tagged Bartlett. Out. Bartlett’s hand was less than a foot away from home plate before Ruiz tagged him.

With the momentum from that play, the Phillies went on to score the winning run in the bottom half of the seventh inning.

It was an aggressive baseball play. If Utley threw to first, Bartlett would have scored the go-ahead-run easily and perhaps been the hero of the game.

Bartlett’s slide to home will be in World Series highlight reels for years to come but he’ll also be known for another act he accomplished in a World Series game.

In the fifth inning of the opening game of the World Series, Bartlett stole second base earning millions of Americans a free taco from Taco Bell. It was part of Taco Bell’s "Steal A Base, Steal A Taco" World Series promotion.

"You know we had Jason pegged as the guy who might steal millions of tacos for America," said David Ovens, chief marketing officer, Taco Bell Corp. "This is one stolen base that goes into the record books more than just a stat, but as a steal that fed the country."

The Taco Bell promotion was on October 28.

For Bartlett, playing in America’s past time is already a dream come true. He said being an undersized never deterred him from pursuing his goal to be a Major League baseball player. He advises younger Pinoy athletes to go for their dream.

"Not just baseball or life in general, whatever you want to do," said Bartlett to the Asian Journal. "I’ve always wanted to be a ball player and that’s what I set my mind to do. I kept working. I didn’t have the greatest talent but I kept working at it and I got here. So don’t give up."