Rays make MLB history on Roberto Clemente Day
Oct 7, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) talks with media after game three of the 2019 ALDS playoff baseball series at Tropicana Field. The Tampa Bay Rays won 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Rays made MLB history on Thursday with their lineup choice, and they did it on a rather fitting day.
The Rays sent out a starting lineup of nine Latino players, a first in MLB history. The lineup included two Cuban players, three from the Dominican Republic, two Venezuelans, and one player each from Colombia and Mexico.
The nine players posed together for an on-field photo after the game, an 11-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
A look at history.
All 9 Latino players in the starting line up posing for a pic after the game.
The first time in Major League Baseball history all 9 hitters in starting line up were Latinos.
And on Roberto Clemente day at that. So cool. So inspiring. pic.twitter.com/Zy9GD9wwjv
— Tricia Whitaker (@TriciaWhitaker) September 15, 2022
The Rays entered the history books on Roberto Clemente Day, in which MLB honors the contributions of the Puerto Rican Hall-of Famer. All of the Rays’ Latin-born players wore Clemente’s No. 21 for the game.
After the game, manager Kevin Cash admitted that the lineup composition was purely coincidence and based on matchups, but it was “pretty cool” that it had worked out the way it did.
The players involved certainly made the most of it, as seven of the nine starters made it into the hit column. Randy Arozarena had three hits, while Yandy Diaz and Manuel Margot drove in three runs each.