The Rays fielded the first starting team of Latin American descent. From left are catcher Rene Pinto (50), third baseman Yandy Diaz (2), shortstop Wander Franco (5) second baseman Isaac Paredes (17), left fielder David Peralta (6), first baseman Harold Ramirez (43), center fielder Jose Siri (22), designated hitter Manuel Margot (13) and right fielder Randy Arozarena (56).
The Tampa Bay Rays made MLB history on Thursday with their lineup choice, and they did it on a rather fitting day.
The Rays sent out a starting lineup of nine Latino players, a first in MLB history. The lineup included two Cuban players, three from the Dominican Republic, two Venezuelans and one player each from Colombia and Mexico.
The nine players posed together for an on-field photo after the game, an 11-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Rays entered the history books on Roberto Clemente Day, in which MLB honors the contributions of the Puerto Rican Hall of Famer. All of the Rays’ Latin-born players wore Clemente’s No. 21 for the game.
After the game, manager Kevin Cash admitted that the lineup composition was purely coincidence and based on matchups, but it was “pretty cool” that it had worked out the way it did.
The players involved certainly made the most of it, as seven of the nine starters made it into the hit column. Randy Arozarena had three hits, while Yandy Diaz and Manuel Margot drove in three runs each.
