Rays dress like cowboys before Game 1

Yee-haw!

October 21st, 2020

The Rays may not be from Texas, but they're doing their best to make it feel like home. With the World Series taking place at Globe Life Field in Arlington this year, the Rays knew going full "Cowboy Up" was the best costume for the day. (Sorry, I guess that was another AL East team's postseason motto.)

Whatever the phrase, the Rays busted out the Stetsons, leather jackets and cowboy boots for their trip over to the field:

Of course, playing in Texas isn't the only reason to dress like cowboys. Oh no: The Rays and their postseason superstar, Randy Arozarena, are powered by cowboy boots.

As Arozarena told MLB.com's Rays beat writer, Juan Toribio, earlier this month, the cowboy boots have been his good-luck charm ever since playing in the Mexican Pacific League. They helped power Arozarena to smash 14 home runs during the 2017 winter season, and are now part of his scorching hot October.

“I would grab [the boots] from my teammate in Mexico and I would just put them on,” Arozarena joked. “Those are the boots that give me good luck and I always hit a home run.”

“I call them the power boots,” Arozarena said. "My teammates started telling me that those were the boots that were giving me good luck. That’s why I put the boots on a couple of days before the playoff game, and then I was able to hit a home run in my first at-bat last night.”

Not only has the team rallied around the boots, but other players have put them on when in need of some hits. Willy Adames found the boots in his locker while mired in a slump before ALCS Game 4.

Though the Rays lost to the Astros that day, 4-3, Adames hit an RBI double in the top of the ninth to cut the lead to one and put the Rays one base hit away from tying the game.

That's proof, that's science: the cowboy boots work. Now the Rays are hoping going with entire cowboy outfits will only increase their efficacy.