Longoria tapped for first pitch ahead of Rays' must-win Game 4

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays could use some magic Tuesday night at Tropicana Field.

They’ve got just the guy to make it happen.

Franchise icon Evan Longoria is set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 4 of the World Series. The greatest player in Rays history will handle the honors after his longtime manager Joe Maddon, and teammate, pitcher James Shields, shared the responsibility prior to Game 3.

The Rays are facing impossibly long odds in this Fall Classic, as they are trailing the Brewers, 3-0, after Monday's 10-1 defeat. Only one team has ever fallen behind, 3-0, in a best-of-seven postseason series and come back to win: the 2004 Red Sox, who surged back to beat the Yankees in the ALCS. No team has made it as far as Game 6 after starting the World Series in a 3-0 hole.

But hey, have you ever heard the story about Game 162 in 2011? Of course you have, and Longoria was the face of that moment and Tampa Bay’s unbelievable comeback to claim a Wild Card spot and reach the postseason.

The Rays have recognized Longoria’s place in franchise history on multiple occasions over the past two years. Last summer, he signed a ceremonial one-day contract and officially retired as a Ray. They dedicated an entire weekend in July to his time with the team, first inducting him into the Rays Hall of Fame then retiring his No. 3 jersey.

Longoria was an integral part of the Rays’ turnaround in 2008, when they went from worst to first, reached the first World Series in franchise history then followed with three more trips to the postseason in the following five years.

Can he start one more memorable turnaround for this year’s team?