Pitchers
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida. They play in the American League East division. The first game of the new baseball season for a team is played on Opening Day, and being named the Opening Day starter is an honor, which is often given to the player who is expected to lead the pitching staff that season, [1] though there are various strategic reasons why a team's best pitcher might not start on Opening Day. [2] The Rays have used fifteen different Opening Day starting pitchers in their twenty-six seasons. Since the franchise's beginning in 1998, the fifteen starters have a combined Opening Day record of seven wins, ten losses (7–10), and nine no decisions. [3] [4] [5] [6] "No decisions" are awarded to the starting pitcher if the game is won or lost after the starting pitcher has left the game.
Chris Archer and James Shields holds the Rays' record for most Opening Day starts with four. Archer has one win, two losses, and one no decision, while Shields has one win, one loss, and two no decisions. [3] The all-time record for a Tampa Bay starting pitcher winning an Opening Day game is one, shared by Steve Trachsel, Albie Lopez, Victor Zambrano, James Shields, David Price, Chris Archer, and Shane McClanahan. [3]
Overall, Rays starting pitchers have a combined 5–7 record at home and 2–3 when they are away for Opening Day. [3] [5] In 2004, the Rays opened the season against the New York Yankees at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. [3] [7] Although that game was not played in Tampa Bay's actual home of Tropicana Field, it was still considered a home game for the Rays. [3] [7] Tampa Bay beat the Yankees 8–3 in that game, giving starting pitcher Victor Zambrano the win. [7]
| Season | Each year is linked to an article about that particular Rays season. |
| W | Win |
| L | Loss |
| ND (W) | No decision by starting pitcher; Rays won game |
| ND (L) | No decision by starting pitcher; Rays lost game |
| Pitcher (#) | Number of appearances as Opening Day starter with the Rays |
| * | Advanced to the post-season |
| ** | Won the American League Championship Series |
Daniel Ryan Johnson is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams, over ten seasons, as well as one season in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), but never held a Major League starting job for an entire season. He is perhaps best known for hitting a dramatic two-out, two-strike home run for the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the ninth inning of the last game of the 2011 season, also known as Wild Card Wednesday. That home run tied the game, which the Rays eventually won, sending them to the playoffs. His clutch hitting for the Rays, along with his red hair and beard, earned him the nickname "The Great Pumpkin".
Kevin Forrest Cash is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is the manager of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, Cash played catcher in MLB for the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros. As a player, Cash was listed at 6 feet 0 inches (1.83 m) and 200 pounds (91 kg); he batted and threw right-handed. He was the bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians before being hired as the Rays' manager in December 2014. Cash was the American League Manager of the Year in 2020 and 2021, the first AL manager to win the award consecutively. Cash will enter the 2024 season as the longest-tenured manager in MLB.
Joshua Eric Towers is an American former right-handed professional baseball pitcher. Towers stands at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) tall, and weighs 188 pounds (85 kg).
James Anthony Shields is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2006 through 2012, the Kansas City Royals in 2013 and 2014, the San Diego Padres in 2015 and 2016, and the Chicago White Sox from 2016 to 2018. He was an All Star in 2011.
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays' 2007 season, the tenth season in franchise history, involved the Devil Rays trying to improve on their 2006 season, where they finished last in the American League East, and managed to finish the season with a league-worst record of 66–96. During the offseason they signed Japanese infielder Akinori Iwamura to a three-year deal. Their manager was Joe Maddon, who entered his second season with the Devil Rays.
David Taylor Price is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Price was selected first overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in September 2008. He also played for the Detroit Tigers, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 2008 Major League Baseball season began on March 25, 2008, in Tokyo, Japan with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox defeating the Oakland Athletics at the Tokyo Dome 6–5 in the first game of a two-game series, and ended on September 30 with the host Chicago White Sox defeating the Minnesota Twins in a one-game playoff to win the AL Central. The Civil Rights Game, an exhibition, in Memphis, Tennessee, took place March 29 when the New York Mets beat the Chicago White Sox, 3–2.
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Since its inception, the team's home ballpark has been Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Jeremy Robert Hellickson is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals. Following the 2011 season, Hellickson was named American League Rookie of the Year. In Tampa Bay, Hellickson was nicknamed "Hellboy" by local fans and media.
The Tampa Bay Rays 2011 season was the team's 14th season in Major League Baseball. Despite starting the season 0–6 and trailing the Boston Red Sox by 9 games as late in the season as September 3, the Rays captured the AL Wild Card and made consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in franchise history. However, they lost to the Texas Rangers in four games in the Division Series, the second year in a row they lost to Texas in the first round of the playoffs.
Christopher Alan Archer is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins.
Tyler Allen Glasnow is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Tampa Bay Rays. Glasnow made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2016 and was traded to the Rays during the 2018 season.
Blake Ashton Snell is an American professional baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays and San Diego Padres.
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home venue has been Tropicana Field.
Yonny Enrique Chirinos Mejias is a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher in the Miami Marlins organization. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves.
In baseball, an opening pitcher, more frequently referred to as an opener, is a pitcher who specializes in getting the first outs in a game, before being replaced by a long reliever or a pitcher who would typically be a starting pitcher. Pitchers employed in the role of opener have usually been relief pitchers by trade. The strategy was frequently employed in Major League Baseball (MLB) by the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2018 season, when it was adopted by other teams as well.
The 2020 New York Yankees season was the 118th season for the New York Yankees. The Yankees played in Yankee Stadium in the city's northern borough of The Bronx and were led by Aaron Boone in his third season as team manager.