Arozarena adds to tear with Game 1 homer
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Randy Arozarena continues to introduce himself to the baseball world, launching a solo home run off Yankees ace Gerrit Cole as part of a 3-for-4 night in the Rays’ 9-3 loss in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Monday at Petco Park.
| Game | Date | Result | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gm 1 | Oct. 5 | NYY 9, TB 3 | Watch |
| Gm 2 | Oct. 6 | TB 7, NYY 5 | Watch |
| Gm 3 | Oct. 7 | TB 8, NYY 4 | Watch |
| Gm 4 | Oct. 8 | NYY 5, TB 1 | Watch |
| Gm 5 | Oct. 9 | TB 2, NYY 1 | Watch |
Shop for postseason gear: Arozarena was one of the hottest hitters in baseball in September, hitting seven home runs and posting a 1.022 OPS after being called up by the Rays on Aug. 30. Despite his success, Arozarena remains a secret weapon for the Rays. The Yankees got a firsthand look at it in the first inning of Game 1.
Cole threw Arozarena two breaking balls to begin the at-bat, both balls. Once Arozarena got ahead in the count, the 25-year-old Cuban outfielder was able to sit on a fastball, crushing a 96 mph fastball from Cole over the center-field wall to tie the game at 1.
Including the postseason, Arozarena entered the ALDS with a .902 slugging percentage on fastballs this year, the highest of anyone in the Majors with at least 40 at-bats.
• 'He stands out': Arozarena's star on the rise
Arozarena’s first-inning blast had an exit velocity of 107.3 mph, according to Statcast, and the outfielder knew it was gone right away, as he stared into the Rays' dugout and released a simple but effective bat flip.
After adding singles in the fourth and fifth innings, Arozarena laced a 111.7 mph lineout in the seventh in his final at-bat. He is 7-for-12 this postseason with four extra-base hits.