ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Whadda ya say now, America?
Ready to embrace this nameless and spotless baseball team from Tampa Bay? Ready to admit there’s something special happening in a clubhouse where everyone hilariously decided to dress as extravagantly as their muscular first baseman on Thursday?
Ready to stop looking for ways to explain away an MLB record-tying 13-0 start, and just appreciate a team that is built to outmaneuver rather than overwhelm the richer relations in the American League East?
“We don’t play baseball the way everybody else plays baseball,” reliever Ryan Thompson said. “The way I’ve seen us encourage each other and celebrate each other is unheard of. I’ve talked to a lot of people about this, and what we have is different. The lack of egos in here, and the number of people willing to fill whatever role we need on any specific day. Hitters trying to move guys on the basepaths instead of trying to go big and pad stats. Pitchers willing to fit in roles that they’re not used to.
“No egos, no complaining, all we want to do is win games.”
And we can say officially, no team has ever done it better in April. The come-from-behind 9-3 win against the Red Sox on Thursday afternoon tied the 1987 Brewers and 1982 Braves for the longest unbeaten streak to start a season in modern MLB history.
The Rays have a Harlem Globetrotters-like scoring margin of 101-30 and have trailed in only six of their 117 innings this season.
Six! Out of 117!
“Nothing surprises me around here anymore,” said rightfielder Luke Raley.
Sure, the schedule has a lot to do with the record. No denying that. The Rays started the season against three potential last-place teams (Detroit, Washington and Oakland) before beating the Red Sox in four consecutive games this week.
But consider this: the world champion Astros lost two out of three against Detroit last week. The Braves couldn’t sweep the Nationals, the Guardians stumbled against the Athletics and so on. Baseball is not a game built for domination. Win 55 percent of your games, and you’re likely in the playoffs.
In other words, there is no reason to apologize for excellence. No sense in parsing perfection.
“Once you get one little spark in this lineup,” said second baseman Brandon Lowe, “there’s no turning back.”
Unlike teams with high-priced stars who suck all the oxygen out of the stadium, the Rays use versatility and roster manipulation to hopefully stay one step ahead.
Consider B-Lowe. He is one of two guys on the active roster with an All-Star appearance on his resume. In the past six games, he’s 8-for-18 with five walks, five home runs and 12 RBIs. And yet, when the Red Sox started left-hander Chris Sale on Wednesday, he began the day on the bench without a peep.
Consider Jason Adam. He was among the most dominant relievers in baseball in 2022, pitched for the USA in the World Baseball Classic and happily comes into games in the sixth or seventh inning without any chance of getting a save.
Consider the past two days when Zach Eflin missed a start with back tightness and Jeffrey Springs had to leave after three innings with an elbow problem. The Rays called up 22-year-old Taj Bradley to make his MLB debut on Wednesday, brought in Rule 5 draft pick Kevin Kelly with the bases loaded, and had 28-year-old career minor leaguer Braden Bristo make his big-league debut with the streak on the line.
Bradley and Kelly both got their first big-league wins. Bristo, who had one save in his Triple-A career, got the save on Thursday.
“Erik (Neander) and Pete (Bendix) do such a good job in the offseason of getting depth,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I’ve heard Erik talk about it a lot. We want to be really good on our roster from 14 or 15 throughout 40. I feel like we are, and we’ve got many guys that are going to contribute during the season. Many guys have already contributed.
“To go on a run like this, everything’s got to be clicking.”
And when it was finished on Thursday, they all contributed to the frivolity with an amazing collection of skintight jeans, muscle shirts, gold chains and knit caps to good-naturedly poke fun of Yandy Diaz’s sartorial splendor. Kelly and Adam seemed to get the most votes for best Yandy imitation.
“I’m just hoping there’s a cash prize for this,” Adam joked.
So what’s the best word to describe this group?
“Unified,” said team owner Stuart Sternberg.
And the best way to describe the way they’re playing?
“Out of their minds.”
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