ST. PETERSBURG -- The “Tarps Off” movement reached Tropicana Field on Monday night.
In the late innings of the Rays’ 16-6 rout of the Orioles, what started as a small group of bare-chested, shirt-waving fans in the left-field corner quickly commanded the attention of the entire ballpark -- including the players on the field and in Tampa Bay’s dugout.
“I was focused on the game, but obviously I peeked a little bit,” third baseman Junior Caminero said through interpreter Kevin Vera. “They put on a show, and we laughed with them.”
The whole thing started in St. Louis, where the Stephen F. Austin club baseball team turned a section of Busch Stadium into a sort of shirtless celebration. The cheering, hooting and hollering helped spark the Cardinals to a walk-off win, and St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol invited the boys back to the ballpark -- and eventually, into the Cardinals’ clubhouse -- to keep the energy going.
It started as a small group at Tropicana Field. But the rowdy, shirt-twirling gang rapidly expanded, with young men from all corners of the ballpark literally running to join the party.
“I think I noticed it just when everyone was screaming. Looked over there and saw just like all those guys’ shirts off, then I was seeing a lot of kids running toward that area,” second baseman Richie Palacios said. “I was like, ‘All right, this is going to be a big thing.’”
Shortstop Taylor Walls was immediately on board. So was his family, apparently, as he said his brother and others reached out saying they wanted to be a part of it.
“I loved it. I wish I could have joined them, to be honest,” Walls said Tuesday afternoon. “It looked sick. That looked fun. I know if I was a fan in the stands, I'd be right there in the middle of it.
“That's heat, man. That's awesome. Hopefully they're back tonight or back sometime soon.”
Like Marmol, Palacios took to social media to extend an invitation to anyone who took part in the gathering -- and was excited to hear back from a few who intended to return on Tuesday night.
“It's fun. Winning is fun,” Palacios said. “When you have crazy fans like that, that's also fun as well, so we had a good time.”
The highlight was a roll call, with fans calling out players’ names like the “Bleacher Creatures” famously do every game at Yankee Stadium. Some Rays’ reactions were reserved, but others leaned into the act.
Like Walls, for instance, who spun his cap over his head like the fans were whirling their shirts.
“I didn't know they were going to do the roll call thing, and then when they did that, I'm like, 'Well, that's only right to give them a little wave,’” Walls said. “I wanted to take my jersey off right there and just wave it at them, but I couldn't do that.”
The roll call eventually reached manager Kevin Cash, who stood still behind the dugout railing as hitting coach Chad Mottola lifted the manager’s cap and doffed it toward the left-field corner.
And the crowd went wild. Well, wilder.
“I loved it, man. I loved it. I was dying laughing on the field when they went with Kevin Cash, too, and Motor took his hat,” Palacios said. “That was good comedy. Really good comedy.”