Press Box Documents › bit.ly/3f0l9jz TAMPA BAY RAYS (1-2-0) vs. PITTSBURGH PIRATES (1-1-1) LH Shane McClanahan (0-0, 0.00) vs. LH Steven Brault (0-0, 0.00) Wednesday, March 3, 2021 First Pitch: 1:05 p.m. Location: Charlotte Sports Park TV: FOX Sports Sun Radio: MLB.com Spring Game No.: 4 vs. AL Opponents: 0-2-0 vs. NL Opponents: 1-0-0 Home Games: 1-1-0 Road Games: 0-1-0 Day 14 of Spring Training 29 Days Until Opening Day—Thursday, April 1 at Miami Marlins (4:10 p.m.) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE To hear Rays coaches and players pronouncing their names in their own voices, visit raysbaseball.com/pronunciation. UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHERS & BROADCAST SCHEDULE Upcoming Games Time (ET) Probable Pitchers (Rays vs. Opp.) TV & Radio Wed, 3/3 vs. PIT 1:05 p.m. TB—LH Shane McClanahan, LH Josh Fleming, RH Hunter Strickland, RH Andrew Kittredge, RH Stetson Allie, FOX Sports Sun, MLB.com LH Jeffrey Springs, RH Joey Krehbiel; PIT—LH Steven Brault, RH Miguel Yajure, RH Nick Mears, RH Carson Fulmer Thurs., 3/4 at MIN 1:05 p.m. TB—LH Ryan Yarbrough, RH Luis Patiño; MIN—RH Kenta Maeda, RH Hansel Robles, LH Taylor Rogers FOX Sports Sun PLAY BALL!—Today the defending AL champion Rays play their fourth Low-A Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs, who served as Tampa Bay's of 29 official Grapefruit League games (14 at Charlotte Sports Park, 15 on original Low-A affiliate from 1997–2004. the road)…from Sunday through the end of the regular season (Feb 28– RAYS vs. PIRATES—This is the Oct 3), the Rays are scheduled to play 191 games over a span of 218 days. LINEUP vs. PITTSBURGH Ê There are 11 new faces on the 40-man roster—four free agents, four first of two meetings between the two clubs this spring (March No. Player Pos. acquired via trade and three from the minor league system. 17 Austin Meadows (L) LF Ê The Rays have a club-record 77 players on their spring roster: 42 17 in Bradenton)…the Rays haven’t faced the Pirates in the 8 Brandon Lowe (L) 2B pitchers, 8 catchers, 15 infielders and 12 outfielders…prior to 2021, 10 Mike Zunino C regular season since going 1-2 the largest camp roster was 76 players (1999)…the 77 players on the 26 Ji-Man Choi (L) DH spring roster includes four rehabbing pitchers on the 60-day IL. at PNC Park in 2017…the Rays 25 Yoshi Tsutsugo (L) 1B Ê The Rays are sold out of tickets for home spring games…tickets were scheduled to host the Pi- 18 Joey Wendle (L) 3B were all sold within five minutes of going on sale to the public. rates on Opening Day in 2020 5 Wander Franco (S) SS until the COVID-19 shutdown 53 Josh Lowe (L) RF SLICE OF GRAPEFRUIT—Today's game will be 7 innings in length…per resulted in a revised schedule… 7 Vidal Bruján (S) CF Major League Baseball’s 2021 guidelines, games from February 28–March all four players involved in the 62 Shane McClanahan LHP 13 (excluding ESPN games) will be scheduled for 7 innings, though they July 31, 2018 trade between the can be shortened to 5 innings or lengthened to 9 innings upon mutual Rays and Pirates are currently in Rays camp for spring training: RH Chris agreement of both managers…games from March 14-30 will be sched- Archer, RH Shane Baz, RH Tyler Glasnow and OF Austin Meadows. uled for 9 innings, though managers can decide to shorten to 7 innings. Ê Pirates Manager Derek Shelton is one of three current managers Ê Earlier last month, Major League Baseball released a revised, re- who are former members of Kevin Cash’s coaching staff, along gionalized Grapefruit League schedule to mitigate travel…28 of the with Charlie Montoyo (Blue Jays) and Rocco Baldelli (Twins)…he Rays 29 spring games are against the Braves (7), Orioles (3), Pirates spent parts of seven years on the Rays staff as the hitting coach. (2), Red Sox (8) and Twins (8)…the only exception is the final game— March 30 in Lakeland (Tigers)—after the Rays move their major YESTERDAY'S RECAP—The Rays fell behind, 8-0, by the end of the 3rd league operations to Tropicana Field to prepare for Opening Day. inning in a 9-3, 9-inning loss to the Red Sox in Fort Myers…RH Michael Ê In 2020, three players who entered spring training as non-roster Wacha started and pitched a scoreless 1st inning, and RH David Hess al- invites made the Opening Day roster…incl. postseason, nine non- lowed 6 hits, 7 runs and 4 HR in 1.1 IP…the Rays scored their first run in roster invites spent time on the Rays active roster last season. the 6th inning on a solo homer by 3B Kevin Padlo, and scored twice in the 8th on RBI singles by SS Vidal Bruján and C Joseph Odom. TWO DISTINCT ERAS—Since becoming the Rays in 2008, the Rays own the 5th-best record in baseball at 1,081-924 (.539) and have made six trips TODAY’S STARTER vs. PIT—LH Shane McClanahan (0-0, 0.00 ERA) to the postseason, incl. three AL East division titles (2020, 2010, 2008) and Ê 2020 Postseason: 0-0, 8.31 ERA (4.1-IP, 4-ER) in 4 apps two World Series appearances (2020, 2008)…during this span, only three Ê Became the firstpitcher in ML history to debut in the postseason… clubs (Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals) have reached the postseason more was one of three players to make his ML debut in the 2020 postsea- often, and only two (Dodgers, Giants) have competed in more World Se- son, along with OF Alex Kirilloff (Twins) and LH Ryan Weathers ries…the Rays have seven 90-win seasons since 2008, a number matched (Padres, one day after McClanahan)…prior to 2020, only two play- by only three other teams in baseball: Dodgers (8), Red Sox (7) and Yan- ers had made their ML debuts in the postseason: INF Adalberto kees (7)…this success comes after the Devil Rays amassed the majors’ Mondesi (Royals) in 2015 and INF Mark Kiger (Athletics) in 2006. worst record at 645-972 (.399) over the club’s first decade of existence. Ê In 2019, advanced to Double-A Montgomery in his first full profes- Ê The Rays enter the 2021 season on the heels of the second AL pen- sional season…began the season with Class-A Bowling Green and nant in team history…in 2020, the Rays went 40-20 (.667), the best was named to the Midwest League midseason All-Star Team…pro- winning pct. in club history…it was the fourth straight season they moted to Class-A Charlotte on June 8 and to Montgomery on Aug improved their winning pct., all under Manager Kevin Cash. 4…went 11-6 with a 3.36 ERA (120.2-IP, 45-ER) and 154 SO (11.49 SO/9 IP ratio) in 24 apps (22 starts) between the three levels. THE SKIPPER—Kevin Cash enters his seventh season as Rays manager… he is baseball’s 3rd-longest-tenured manager with his current team be- RAYS ON THE TUBE—FOX Sports Sun, which will be rebranding as hind OAK Bob Melvin (10th full season) and CLE Terry Francona (9th Bally Sports Sun in the coming weeks, will be televising a club-record 13 season)…Cash's career 454-416 (.522) record is the best winning pct. of any games during spring training…in addition to televising the games, each manager in club history…last season he was named AL Manager of the broadcast will be made available for live streaming on FOX Sports GO… Year by the BBWAA, receiving 22 of 30 first-place votes…was the second the broadcast schedule will feature a mix of play-by-play by Dewayne manager in Rays history to win it, joining Joe Maddon (2008 and 2011). Staats, analysis by Brian Anderson and reporting by Tricia Whitaker. Ê At 42 years old in 2020, Cash was the youngest manager to reach Ê Dewayne has done play-by-play since the inaugural 1998 season; the World Series since Ozzie Guillén (41) in 2005 (White Sox). he and BA enter their 13th season together…Tricia, a proud alumna Ê Three other current managers are former members of his coaching of Indiana University, begins her third season on the telecast. staff: Rocco Baldelli (Twins), Charlie Montoyo (Blue Jays) and Der- SEASON MEMBERSHIPS—The Rays have announced a new and innova- ek Shelton (Pirates)…Cash is one of six former Rays players who tive Season Membership model in anticipation of fans returning to Tropi- have gone on to manage major league teams…the others: Guillén cana Field for the 2021 regular season…Rays Season Memberships allow (White Sox, Marlins), Mickey Callaway (Mets), Gabe Kapler (Phil- fans to choose from six membership levels, each with its own associated lies, Giants), Dave Martinez (Nationals) and Baldelli (Twins). discount and seating location…to ensure socially-distant seating, tradi- MINOR MATTERS—The Rays enter the 2021 season ranked by Baseball tional fixed season ticket locations will not be available for 2021. America, Baseball Prospectus, ESPN and The Athletic as the No. 1 farm CHAMPIONS CLUB—To celebrate the Rays advancing to the 2020 World system in the game…the Rays will attempt to complete the sweep when Series, the team has launched the American League Champions Club, MLB.com releases their organizational rankings in mid-March…MLB.com presented by Geico…the club features exclusive experiences and events, placed eight Rays prospects on its preseason Top 100, most of any team.