In front of a crowd of 19,704 fans, the Rays dropped game one of the AL Wild Card series for the second consecutive year. A mixture of sloppy defense and lifeless offense allowed the Rangers to take the first game 4-0 and set up a chance to clinch the series tomorrow afternoon.
The Rays lineup included eight right-handed hitters and one switch hitter to go up against lefty Jordan Montgomery.
The 2023 #Postseason starts in an hour right here in St. Pete. #RaysUp pic.twitter.com/OUCOnNCxTK
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 3, 2023
Ceremonial first pitches were thrown out by Randy Arozarena’s mother, who got the chance to see her son play in the big leagues for the first time, and recently inducted Hall of Famer Fred McGriff.