The Tampa Bay Rays won their season opener on Friday against the Colorado Rockies in walk-off fashion (box score), with rookie outfielder Kameron Misner providing the decisive blow to earn the 3-2 victory. The game doubled as Tampa Bay’s first home game at George M. Steinbrenner Field, their present base in wake of the hurricane last fall that damaged Tropicana Field and left the dome in unplayable condition.
Misner, 27, was pinch-hitting and appearing in just his ninth career big-league game. He had previously recorded one hit in 15 tries. No matter, on Friday Misner connected with the first pitch he saw from reliever Victor Vodnik, a 97 mph fastball he pulled into the right field stands. It’s notable that Steinbrenner Field, which also serves as the home to the New York Yankees in spring training and their Florida State League minor-league affiliate, has identical dimensions to Yankee Stadium.
Take a look:
Misner’s home run boasted a 108 mph exit velocity and carried 351 feet. It would’ve been a home run in 20 of the 30 big-league parks, according to Statcast’s calculations. Per Opta STATS, Misner is the first player in MLB history to hit a walk-off home run on Opening Day for their first career home run.
The Rays trailed by a 2-0 margin as late as the seventh inning, with Rockies starter Kyle Freeland turning in six shutout innings on just 67 pitches. The Rockies bullpen, however, proved unable to maintain that advantage.
Friday’s win comes after a long offseason for the Rays — not only as it pertains to their nomadic state, but because of the rising tensions between the franchise, and specifically owner Stuart Sternberg, and Tampa Bay politicians concerning both the possibility of repairing Tropicana Field and constructing a new stadium. Sternberg, who was in attendance for Friday’s opener, was urged to sell the team by at least one fan sporting a sign. Additonally, fans broke out in a “sell the team” chant during the contest’s latter stages.
Those scenes played out just hours after Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said he wants Sternberg to provide his plans for the future. On Friday, anyway, Rays fans could put all that aside and enjoy the comeback victory.
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