The 27th season of Rays baseball began at 4:10 this afternoon. After the ceremonial first pitch was thrown and the pregame festivities have concluded, the Rays optimistically took the field. As planned, Zach Eflin took to the mound and began the season with a 1-2-3 inning. Leadoff hitter Yandy Diaz began the season with a 355-ft home run to left field. Diaz hit 22 home runs last season.
The 1-0 lead for Rays held strong until the top half of the fourth inning. Blue Jays’ right fielder George Springer tied the game will a solo home run to left field. The Rays had no answer for Springer’s 392-foot deposit into the seats. In the sixth inning, the Blue Jays batted around. Third baseman Isiah Kiner-Falefa started the inning and ended it. But, between Kiner-Falefa’s at bats, the Blue Jays scored five runs. Cavan Biggio hit a line drive homer to right field and Vladimir Guerrero launched a monster 450-foot home run to center field. Eflin could not complete six innings of work. His final line was 5.2 innings, six hits, six earned runs, five strikeouts, and a walk. Shawn Armstrong replaced Eflin.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Ray manufactured a run with doubles from catcher Rene Pinto and Diaz. That was the end of the Rays’ offense. Armstrong allowed two more runs in the seventh inning. Garrett Cleavinger and Phil Maton pitched scoreless eighth and nineth inning for the Rays. But it was too late. The Rays could not overcome the five-run sixth inning.
Sadly, the Rays ended their four-game Opening Day winning streak. The 2024 Tampa Bay Rays will begin the season with a 0-1 record. But chins up, Rays fans. There is another game tomorrow. Then, there are 160 more games after that one.
Around the League
There were 15 games scheduled for today’s celebratory Opening Day. Half the teams that played won, whereas the other half lost. Here is what happened.
The Baltimore Orioles saw instant gains on their investment for signing Corbin Burnes with a 11-3 win over the Angels. Burnes allowed one run on one hit, a Mike Trout home run, and struck out 11.
The Twins collected 10 hits to beat the Royals 4-1.
At Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox) 33,420 fans suffer through 50-degree temperatures to watch a bad team try to lose to another bad team called the Tigers. It took two hours for nine hits to occur between two teams and somehow the Tigers scored a run to win 1-0.
Juan Soto’s debut in a Yankee uniform was a successful one. Soto’s bat and defense had an impact of the Yankee 5-4 win in Houston.
World Series Champions Texas Rangers continue their winning streak with a walk-off win against the Cubs. The only interleague game played.
Frankie Montas is trying to forget the horrors he went through in the 2023 season with a quality start for the Reds. Montas allowed only four hits in six inning and no walks. Reds beat the Nationals 8-2.
The Giants tried to make a comeback in the ninth inning versus the Padres, but the Padres held on to win 6-4.
Former Ray, Tyler Glasnow got his first win as a Dodger, 7-1. There Dodger starter allowed only two hits in six innings. Paul Goldschmidt provided all the offense for the Cardinals. All three Cardinal hits came off his bat.
The Pirates and Marlins needed extra innings to complete their game. A 12-inning run by the Pirates made them winners in this contest 6-5.
Shane Bieber and his Guardians blanked the Athletics 8-0. Are the A’s going to have another season like last year?
Diamondback offense erupted for a franchise record 14 runs in the third inning. It was all Diamondbacks in this 16-1 pounding of the Rockies.
In Seattle, the story was not about the Mariners or the Red Sox. It was about Tyler O’Neill. O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a home run in five straight Opening Days. This helped the Red Sox defeat the Emerald City’s Mariners 6-4.
The Mets-Brewers and Phillies-Braves games were rained out and make up games are scheduled for the next day.
