ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays have brought a lot to the baseball world since coming onto the scene in 1998.
They’ve delivered thrilling moments on the field. They’ve spread the “Rays’ way” to front offices and dugouts around the game. They’ve ushered in young stars and provided a new lease on life for countless veterans.
They’ve also brought a lot of laughter to the game. Let’s look back at some of the funniest moments in franchise history.
As Brett Phillips would say, “Baseball is fun,” right?
1. Maddon’s menagerie: 2013
Joe Maddon’s eccentric personality and bold tactical leadership helped the Rays emerge as legitimate contenders starting in 2008. The manager found plenty of ways to keep the clubhouse loose, from dropping strict dress-code restrictions to deflecting media attention away from players and onto him.
Sometimes, animals were involved.
In April 2013, Maddon brought a series of guests into the Rays’ clubhouse, including a DJ, a magician, a cockatoo named Mindy and penguins. Yes, penguins. Their names were Cliff and Shelley.
Maddon also invited a merengue band to perform live inside Tampa Bay’s clubhouse at Tropicana Field, and he might have outdone himself on the day there was a 20-foot python named Asia inside the clubhouse.
That was all in one season. Would you believe the Rays won 92 games and reached the playoffs that year? Maddon’s animal act paid off.
2. Jenny, I’ve got your number: July 3, 2014
One of Maddon’s finest moments came on July 3, 2014, in Detroit. That was when he tweeted he was “Going with Tommy Tutone lineup today.” As in the timeless Tommy Tutone song “867-5309/Jenny.”
Maddon was blaring the song in his office before the game, and sure enough, when the lineup card was posted, the first seven spots in the order were center field (8), shortstop (6), left field (7), third base (5), first base (3), designated hitter (0) and right field (9).
It didn’t work, as the Rays picked up two hits -- one more than Tommy Tutone, at least -- and lost, 8-1.
3. ‘An all-encompassing type of suck’: April 17, 2024
Win or lose, former closer Pete Fairbanks always kept it interesting during his time with the Rays. That was true on the mound, but more so in front of his locker anytime a group approached for an interview.
There was the time Fairbanks blew a save and said he was having “a better night” than the fan who suggested he drink bleach. There was the time he praised a game-ending catch by throwing some shade at the Dallas Cowboys: “Unlike Dez [Bryant], he caught it.” And there was one great story about getting a black eye while dunking on his 3-year-old son.
But the most unforgettable, viral line from Fairbanks came after a blown save led to a 5-4 loss to the Angels.
Asked what went wrong, Fairbanks replied, “I thought it generally sucked. I didn’t think it was a specific suck.” Then came the kicker: “I thought it was like an all-encompassing type of suck.”
4. Pitching is fun: July 2, 2021
Brett Phillips is responsible for one of the greatest moments in franchise history, the bloop to right field that led to a walk-off victory in Game 4 of the 2020 World Series. Before attempting a second act as a pitcher, Phillips delivered some hilarious moments on the mound for the Rays.
Once, the outfielder made a (seriously) impressive sliding catch from the mound. Another time he faced a real two-way star, Shohei Ohtani, then allowed a left-handed home run to Anthony Rendon. But his pitching debut at the end of a lopsided loss to the Blue Jays in Buffalo, N.Y., was the stuff of legends.
Phillips sprinted to the mound, broke out what we’ll generously call an unconventional delivery, fired a low-90s heater to start the outing, then spent the rest of the outing lobbing in what he later called, with a straight face, “a Mariano Rivera-esque cutter.”
5. Next stop … not Yankee Stadium: June 17, 2003
The Devil Rays were playing a doubleheader in New York one Tuesday, and Dewon Brazelton was scheduled to pitch the second game. He was supposed to show up between 3 and 4 p.m. ET, but he wound up arriving at the ballpark at 5.
Nobody knew where he was. What happened?
“He said he caught the wrong subway and ended up in Brooklyn,” manager Lou Piniella told reporters. “I think he must have thought we were playing in Ebbets Field.”
Brazelton confirmed it was an honest mistake, and he didn’t realize it until he was in Brooklyn, not the Bronx. His day didn’t get any better, though, as he allowed six runs (two earned) over 4 2/3 innings in a 10-2 loss to the Yankees.