TAMPA, FL — Ask any player or coach about team goals going through the long season, and you’ll likely get, in addition to the ever-present “taking it one game at a time,” an answer stating that you try to win each series. The more of those you win, the better position you are when a dozen teams move from the regular season into the playoffs.
Tampa Bay got the job done in their historic season-opening series at George M. Steinbrenner Field, taking two-out-of-three from each of their first two National League opponents, the Colorado Rockies and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Junior Caminero and the Rays finish off their opening homestand at 4-2 – Image Credit: MLB
Strong starting pitching and relief work from the bullpen contributed. The Rays second through fifth members of the rotation—Zack Littell, Taj Bradley, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz—accounted for three wins, no losses, 28 strikeouts with no walks, and just three earned runs allowed.
Offensive highlights included Rays rookie Kameron Misner hitting a walk-off home run on Opening Day and Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda hitting .417 with four doubles.
Rookie Jake Magnum got his first major league in hit his second start on Monday and then added more hits that game (two from each side of the plate, with a double, two runs batted in and two stolen bases), three more hits the next day, and another in the finale to bring him to a .533 batting average for the young season.
It’s notable that he had just driven to Durham, the Triple-A club, to start in the Bulls opening day outfield. But when Josh Lowe suffered an oblique injury in the Rays first game, it suddenly forced Magnum’s call back up and a flight to Tampa.
All six games were sellouts, at the reduced capacity of 10,046 in the spring training home of the New York Yankees. A unique cooperative agreement between the two AL East rivals has Tampa Bay playing there for at least this season as the Rays’ regular home stadium Tropicana Field is in need of repair from Hurricane Milton damage.
Tampa Bay heads to Texas for a weekend series against the Rangers, and the Pirates go to Pittsburgh for their home opening series vs. the powerful AL Champion Yankees.
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Tom Starr
April 3, 2025 at 4:27 pm
The best under the radar over achieving franchise in sports.