Total team effort propels Rays to Opening Day Victory
April 9, 2022 - A sellout crowd of 25,025 descended on Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to watch the Tampa Bay Rays open the season with a 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. The game embodied the team spirit and nimble player management that defines the Rays, as manager Kevin Cash sent seven pitchers to the mound and utilized 12 of the team’s 13 position players. Both runs came on sacrifice flies - the first time the Rays have won with multiple runs scoring in that manner. With the score tied at 1, the bases loaded and one out in the eighth, Cash subbed switch hitter Francisco Mejia for All-Star catcher Mike Zunino. Mejia delivered a sac fly that drove in backup Ji-Man Choi for the go-ahead run. Rays phenom Wander Franco’s first Opening Day did not disappoint the sellout crowd, as the 21-year-old shortstop went 3-for-4 and impressed with his defense. Franco became the youngest Rays player to open the season with three or more hits and the youngest in the majors to accomplish the feat since 2011.