ST. PETERSBURG — Randy Arozarena returned to Tropicana Field for the first time since the trade that sent him to Seattle in July 2024, and Rays fans greeted the 31-year-old slugger with a standing ovation before his first at-bat in the Mariners’ 7-2 loss.
“I’m very happy to come in here,” Arozarena said via Mariners interpreter Freddy Llanos prior to the series opener. “This building gave me a lot. I know I have a lot of fans here. There’s a lot of good memories that come by when I step on this field.”
Arozarena went 1-for-4 with a sixth-inning single. No player hit more home runs inside Tropicana Field than Arozarena, who launched 44 during his tenure as a Ray. He burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2020 with one of the greatest postseason runs in MLB history, earning ALCS MVP honors as he helped Tampa Bay win its first pennant since 2008.
“Randy did a lot of special things in this building, and he’s always a joy to see,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Some of our best seasons, best runs, he was right in the middle of it.”
Arozarena won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 2021 and made his first All-Star team in 2023, the same season “Randy Land” arrived in the left-field seats directly behind his customary position. He remembered sitting with those fans the day he was traded. Named an All-Star for the third time in his career last week, Arozarena has posted 10 homers, 19 stolen bases and a .286/.378/.453 slash line through 87 games with Seattle this season. From 2020-24 with Tampa Bay, he compiled 85 homers, 94 steals and a .786 OPS after the Rays acquired him from St. Louis ahead of the 2020 campaign.
“Very grateful for this organization,” Arozarena said. “The Rays organization, they gave me that opportunity to just grow, blossom into the player I was.”
“It was definitely something special,” he said afterward. “I know it’s going to be emotional. I love these fans. They gave me a lot.”
The Mariners and Rays continue their series at Tropicana Field through the weekend.