ST. PETERSBURG -- The World Series has returned to Tropicana Field, and so has Joe Maddon.
Maddon, the longtime manager whose boldly innovative tactics and refreshingly different style led the Rays to their first American League championship in 2008, strode toward the mound wearing a No. 70 Devil Rays jersey -- then summoned former Rays ace James Shields to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the World Series between the Rays and Brewers on Monday night at Tropicana Field.
“Very nice. Very honored for that moment right there,” Maddon said. “I had a lot of stuff going on. Had to, like, rearrange some things to come down here, but it was too important to not come down here. So then, we did.”
Maddon said the reunion began with conversations with senior director of team travel and logistics Chris Westmoreland, who has been with the organization since October 1997. Talks then progressed with Rays CEO Ken Babby, and that led Maddon to a familiar mound Monday night.
Walking onto the field felt a bit unfamiliar at first, however, under the rebuilt Trop’s new roof.
“What a great job!” Maddon marveled. “I mean, a different place. It's absolutely different. Way brighter, way cleaner. More big league. I kind of like it.”
The last time The Trop hosted the Fall Classic, Maddon was Tampa Bay’s manager. The Rays lost the 2008 World Series to the Phillies in five games, but the one game they won was the most recent World Series game played inside their home dome: Game 2, a 4-2 triumph on Oct. 23, 2008.
Fittingly, considering the moment they shared on Monday night, Shields started that game. David Price finished it and the Rays’ RBIs came from pillars of their worst-to-first turnaround: B.J. Upton, Carlos Peña, Jason Bartlett and Evan Longoria. And in the dugout was Maddon, who oversaw their transformation from the cellar-dwelling Devil Rays into the perennially contending Rays.
Maddon managed Tampa Bay for nine years, a tenure highlighted by the club’s run to the World Series followed by an AL East title in 2010, a miraculous AL Wild Card berth achieved in Game 162 in ’11 and another postseason appearance in ’13.
“We started out very humbly, and I love what’s going on right now,” Maddon said. “On an annual basis, we felt like we could get to the playoffs. We never just hoped that we would get there. The annual Spring Training mantra was to get to the last game of the year and play it. I don’t think enough groups say that anymore.”
Maddon is fondly remembered for his transformational role in franchise history. He helped make the Rays relevant with a dash of analytically minded methods -- shifting, platoons, etc. -- and his unique personal touches, like eliminating formal dress codes, implementing themed dress-up trips and occasionally inviting animals and other acts into the clubhouse.
Overall, Maddon won 754 games and made four trips to the playoffs with the Rays, fewer than only Kevin Cash (994 wins and six postseason appearances), before departing to join the Cubs after the 2014 season. He immediately led the Cubs to the postseason in 2015 then helped break their 108-year championship drought in ’16. Maddon spent five years with the Cubs, then managed the Angels from 2020-22.
Maddon, 72, has been back to Tropicana Field since departing the Rays, of course. He managed the Cubs against the Rays at the Trop on Sept. 19-20, 2017, and he did so for the Angels in June 2021. He still has some connections to the Tampa Bay area and weighed in on the club’s “Forever Home” ballpark pursuit in June in a guest column for MLB.com.
The Rays very obviously hinted at Maddon’s appearance on social media during Sunday’s World Series travel day, posting a picture of his signature black-rimmed glasses.
Cash said he thought it was “awesome” that Maddon got the nod for the first pitch, saying he would be “stoked to see him walk out there” and expected fans to feel the same way.
“So appreciative of our relationship,” Cash added. “I look forward to giving him a handshake and a big hug, and hopefully he throws a strike.”
Maddon wasn’t quite so sure about the last part, noting that his main form of practice now takes place at the driving range. What better way for Maddon to make his return than with a call to the bullpen?
“I used to have a great arm,” he quipped. “I don’t have a great arm anymore.”