Rays are shining all over Major League Baseball. Tampa received its own MLB franchise in 1998 with the formation of the Rays, born and raised in Tropicana Field, home of orange juice and hurricane-proof outnumbered. They were then the Devil Rays, a homage to the majestic natural wonders of the Gulf of Mexico and their eponymous Tampa Bay. It would be 11 years before they shed their reputation as basement dwellers, with just one finish above fifth place (fourth, 2004) in their debut decade. When they showed up it was real, they shot into the World Series in a 97-win season that produced one of my favorite Sports Illustrated covers of all time.
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What a joy, the humble, newly renamed 2008 Rays beating the dreaded Yankees. It would become a possibility, if not a trend, as Tampa has racked up eight seasons with 90-plus wins over the past 14 years. Though they navigated another four-year period of anonymity and uncompetitiveness in the late 2010s, it was a different way of reporting. After moving from the Devil Rays to the Rays in 2008, they retain a touch of their Mobulidae roots while taking on the more cheerful ambience of the bright Florida sunshine. Using a series of collective bargaining agreements, Tampa created a competitive, low-wage club on the back of 53 picks in the first 100 MLB draft picks over the past 14 years. One of her 33 first-round picks in that 14-year stretch was Drew Rasmussen, tonight’s starting pitcher and amusingly one of just two of those 33 not to sign with Tampa Bay on draft day. They later located the Puyallup, WA native and signed him into their service through a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. Though the trade earned Milwaukee a star shortstop in Willy Adames, Rasmussen looked like a gem tonight, helping a thin Tampa rotation soak up innings in the sun.
Rasmussen worked six shutouts with nine strikeouts and just a single walk, messing up the Mariners hitters all night with his cutter and fastball. It was a masterful performance, although every well-hit Mariners contact managed to find a gauntlet. As frustrating as it may have been, Tampa Bay beat Seattle despite the M’s getting a foldable hand early on.
Of course, that means Marco Gonzales with an out and a speedy third-place Randy Arozerena was knocked out by a laser from Harold Ramirez at the end of the first inning. The 109-mile single scored Arozerena and changed the trajectory of the game. Mercifully, the rope drive didn’t seem to crack a bone when it hit Gonzales in the left wrist, but it sent Gonzales to the coach’s table and Yohan Ramírez, who climbed a hill.
At that time I will pick a small, tasteful bouquet for Ramírez. Did Ramírez give Kevin Kiermaier the double-barreled home run in the fourth inning that would ultimately prove the difference in the game? Yes. Did he load the bases on a hit-by-pitch, a walk, and a hard-slashed single in the second? Yes. Was it scary to see/hear him on my 75 minute drive home from West Seattle? Yes. Have I lost track of why Yohan earned awards? Perhaps. But no, Ramírez worked 3.2 innings of two-run balls, didn’t
At least 40 Sun Devils have played for the Seattle Mariners, not very ambitious but competitive enough given the circumstances to appreciate. The bullpen behind him—Matt Festa, Drew Steckenrider, and yes, even Justus Sheffield—weaved another safety net, which they strung under the Tropicana Field catwalk. They worked 4.2 innings, gave up three hits, one walk, three strikeouts and no runs. If only the offense could cover their efforts.
Instead, a playful evening in Tampa, albeit one with many adversities. Marco Gonzales received the largest gift of negative win probability added, but it was a difficult day for some Mariners hopefuls. 12 strikeouts have been a pockmark for a club who have impressively avoided appearances from empty plates so far in 2022. Cal Raleigh looked utterly lost in court while Jarred Kelenic was frustratingly stunned. Jesse Winker couldn’t recreate his Sunday afternoon magic with runners in goal position, and both Abraham Toro and JP Crawford each hit just one home run, the real disappointments of the day.
It was ultimately a disappointing loss, not because of circumstances that could easily have given way to a blowout, but because it was still so close. A charitable reading of the circumstances sees a club that have made much, if not the best of a bad situation, while a less rosy view reveals the thin rotation for the first time in 2022 and an uncertain long road trip already showing cracks. A planned bullpen day awaits Tampa tomorrow while the theoretical opposite of such a thing, the ultra-efficient Chris Flexen, stares at them.