LOS ANGELES, CA — The 64-63 Tampa Bay Rays float into LA for a three-game series with the NL West-leading Dodgers, who are 76-52, the best record in all of baseball. In their last ten games, the Dodgers are 7-3, while the Rays are 5-5. It is obvious that these two clubs are headed in two different directions.
This weekend, three players need to be watched from the visitor’s side of the field. First, there is Tampa’s first baseman, Yandy Díaz, Sagua la Grande, Cuba. His numbers this season are down from 2023, when he batted .330 with a .932 OPS, and was named a finalist for the AL LatinoMVP award.
Rays 1B Yandy Díaz representing Latino Sports after being named a finalist for the 2023 American League LatinoMVP award- Image Credit: Tampa Bay Rays
He now sits with a BA of .274 and an OPS of .730, but he is still a big threat to the Dodger pitching staff. On the pitching side, the Rays have one of the best bullpen guys in the American League with Manuel Rodríguez, Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, who, in 25 innings, has 24 strikeouts and a 1.80 ERA. However, number three is the number two prospect in baseball, Junior Caminero, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who was called up to the big leagues on August 13. He will start at third base and bat third in the order. That, my friend, is special! By the way, the Rays are ranked as the number-one farm system in baseball.
Their player development system has been at the top of the heap for years. Their problem is that they never have the money to resign these players when they reach free agency.
These three Latinos will have the Dodger crowd that is heavily Mexican excited even if they are in the visitor’s dugout. The Latino presence at Dodger Stadium has been enormous since Fernando Valenzuela and “Fernandomania” arrived in 1981, and they continue to boost attendance yearly.
The iconic Dodger Fernando Valenzuela – Image Credit: MLB
On Wednesday, the Dodgers once again went over three million in overall attendance on. the year. They now sit at 3,039,362 with an average crowd base of 48,243, and with eighteen more home dates, they could get close to four million. And although the stadium is understandably in a Shohei Ohtani frenzy this year with Japanese foods at the concession stands and the elimination of “Taco Tuesdays,” the Latinos keep coming. Forty-one years of Mexicans coming to Dodger Stadium is a true testament to fan loyalty.
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