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On Baseball
A team known for innovation, Tampa Bay finally has some stability — and the best offense and pitching in baseball. Or, as Harold Ramírez said, “everything we do is right.”
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By Tyler Kepner
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays had just won again Tuesday night, but their architect was flustered by a small crack in the foundation. One of the Rays’ pitchers had taken a line drive off his foot, another had a forearm problem, a few could have used a break, and nobody from the minors quite fit as a replacement.
Erik Neander, the Rays’ president of baseball operations, wondered if any available veterans were lined up to start in the minors the next day. An assistant, Ryan Bristow, flagged a recent email from the Cincinnati Reds: Chase Anderson, a well-traveled, 35-year-old right-hander for Class AAA Louisville, was available.
Anderson had pitched for a month in the Rays’ farm system last summer — and, most important, was lined up to start a morning game in Omaha in about 12 hours. Perfect. The Rays made the requisite phone calls, got Anderson for cash considerations — “Maybe a dollar,” Neander said — and booked him on a 7 a.m. flight on Wednesday.
That night, naturally, Anderson pitched three scoreless innings against Pittsburgh for his first career save in the majors. Another victory on Thursday gave the Rays a three-game sweep of the Pirates and a spellbinding 26-6 record — the best 32-game start in the league since the 1984 Detroit Tigers, who won the World Series.
Even those Tigers, though, did not pummel their opponents this thoroughly, this early. The Rays, who will host the Yankees at Tropicana Field this weekend, had outscored opponents by 113 runs before Thursday’s 3-2 win over Pittsburgh. The last team with a wider run differential through 31 games: Honus Wagner’s Pirates in 1902, a year before the creation of the World Series.
“Everybody has confidence, everybody knows what we’ve got to do,” said Harold Ramírez, who floated through four organizations before becoming a .300 hitter for the Rays. “It’s like, a lot of people think we are a weird team because we do weird things. But I know everything we do is right.”
Everything? It’s not a stretch. The Rays have scored the most runs in the majors, with the highest batting average, the best on-base plus slugging percentage and the most home runs. Even while using the most pitchers in the majors, the Rays have allowed the fewest runs and homers and the lowest opponents’ average and O.P.S.
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“They just kind of create these pitchers out of nowhere, like people haven’t heard of them before,” said the right-handed starter Zach Eflin, who pitched in the World Series for Philadelphia last fall and eagerly signed with the Rays in free agency. “There’s been a long kind of rumor in the big leagues, like there’s something in the water in Tampa — they know what they’re doing down there.”
The three-year, $40 million contract for Eflin, who is 4-0 after his victory on Thursday, was the richest free-agent deal in Tampa Bay history. Yet for all of their bargain shopping and roster churning, the Rays now stand out for something traditional and reassuring: Stability, in both leaders and players.
Kevin Cash became the team’s manager in December 2014, when only one of his peers (Cleveland’s Terry Francona) was in his current position. The hitting coach Chad Mottola and the pitching coach Kyle Snyder are in their sixth season together; no other team has had the same people in those roles for that long.
Then there’s the roster, with 17 players (including those on the injured list) who were part of the organization in 2020, when the Rays won the American League pennant.
“When you get a group that’s able to play together for a while, it’s kind of how the March Madness teams are,” the right-handed reliever Pete Fairbanks said. “When you get into the tournament and you’ve got a team full of juniors and seniors, those teams typically seem to have the ability to make noise.”
The Rays are more than a collection of role players who know the system. The left-hander Shane McClanahan, who is 6-0, started the All-Star Game last summer at Dodger Stadium. While the Yankees have no everyday players with a .900 O.P.S., the Rays have six, including shortstop Wander Franco, a switch-hitting force, and the stylish left fielder Randy Arozarena, who hit his eighth homer on Thursday.
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Franco, 22, is signed through 2032, and while Arozarena, 28, does not have a long-term deal, he cannot be a free agent until after the 2026 season. His payday might come elsewhere.
“I know I play for a small-market team, but obviously I play hard and I do the things I do to be able to get that contract — and eventually I think it will happen, regardless of if it’s here or not,” Arozarena said in Spanish through an interpreter. “I know we’re in the business of the big leagues, but regardless of the market, all teams have a lot of money.”
The Rays, as usual, are getting a lot for their money: Their player payroll ranks among the majors’ lowest — roughly $73 million on opening day, ahead of only Baltimore and Oakland — but they have dominated baseball in nearly every category.
The hitters lead the A.L. in barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage and exit velocity, and the pitching staff is the only one in the majors to rank in the top three in all those categories. Statcast confirms those figures, but it’s a time-tested formula: Hit the ball hard and keep your opponents from doing the same.
“It looks a lot more complicated from the outsider’s perspective than it actually maybe is inside,” Snyder said.
The Rays’ schedule is getting much tougher now. Their opponents in March and April had a combined .427 winning percentage through Wednesday, but none of their May opponents had a losing record entering the month. But the Rays — who have made the playoffs four years in a row — are finding that nobody doubts them anymore.
“Before, it was: ‘We’re this, we’re that, we’re a gimmick,’ and suddenly, this year, we’re good,” Mottola said, speaking of the national impression of the Rays. “And it’s almost a little concerning — you’re going, ‘Wait, wait, we have to keep that underdog mentality.’ If we get stale and complacent and believe that we’re good, then we lose what we’re good at — if that makes sense.”
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The Rays are good at being different. The owner Stuart Sternberg, a former partner at Goldman Sachs, cultivated a Wall Street-savvy front office in the mid-2000s, and Neander worked for Sports Info Solutions, an analytics hub co-founded by John Dewan and Bill James, before joining the Rays in 2007.
But while it’s tempting to credit data for the Rays’ success, it also misses the point. A team can embrace information while also respecting the pulse of the players. For the Rays, that is actually the secret to everything.
The night they scrambled to find Anderson, the Rays used seven pitchers. Only one faced the same hitter twice. The Rays are famous for this strategy; the opener, as it is known, is probably their best-known innovation. Yet the data behind it is mostly a front.
“It’s about putting players in position to have success and complete their competitive day feeling good about themselves and wanting to contribute more,” Neander said. “You’re trying to foster confidence. The ideal space is when everyone feels like they can do more.”
The baseball season is very long, of course. But few teams, to this point, have ever done more.
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FAQs
What was Ray Dalio's famous quote? ›
If you're not failing, you're not pushing your limits, and if you're not pushing your limits, you're not maximizing your potential.
What materials can block radiation? ›Shielding: Barriers of lead, concrete, or water provide protection from penetrating gamma rays. Gamma rays can pass completely through the human body; as they pass through, they can cause damage to tissue and DNA.
How can alpha radiation be stopped? ›Alpha particles can be stopped completely by a sheet of paper. Beta particles travel appreciable distances in air, but can be reduced or stopped by a layer of clothing, thin sheet of plastic or a thin sheet of aluminum foil.
What are the 4 types of radiation? ›There are four major types of radiation: alpha, beta, neutrons, and electromagnetic waves such as gamma rays. They differ in mass, energy and how deeply they penetrate people and objects. The first is an alpha particle.
What is considered the most famous quote? ›A jury consisting of 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians selected "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn", spoken by Clark Gable as Rhett Butler in the 1939 American Civil War epic Gone with the Wind, as the most memorable American movie quotation of all time.
Does aluminum foil stop nuclear radiation? ›Alpha particles can be stopped completely by a sheet of paper. Beta particles travel appreciable distances in air, but can be reduced or stopped by a layer of clothing, thin sheet of plastic or a thin sheet of aluminum foil.
What objects absorb radiation? ›A black body is an idealized object that absorbs all electromagnetic radiation it comes in contact with. It then emits thermal radiation in a continuous spectrum according to its temperature. Stars behave approximately like blackbodies, and this concept explains why there are different colors of stars.
What material absorbs the most radiation? ›Traditional Lead (Pb) Shielding
Lead is a chemical element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable and corrosion-resistant material³. The high density of lead (11.34 grams per cm³) makes it a useful shield against X-ray and gamma-ray radiation.
Gamma rays have so much penetrating power that several inches of a dense material like lead, or even a few feet of concrete may be required to stop them.
What happens if humans are exposed to radiation? ›Radiation can damage the DNA in our cells. High doses of radiation can cause Acute Radiation Syndrome (ARS) or Cutaneous Radiation Injuries (CRI). High doses of radiation could also lead to cancer later in life.
What is the most difficult radiation to block out? ›
Gamma rays can be emitted from the nucleus of an atom during radioactive decay. They are able to travel tens of yards or more in air and can easily penetrate the human body. Shielding this very penetrating type of ionizing radiation requires thick, dense material such as several inches of lead or concrete.
What type of radiation is deadliest to living things? ›Gamma rays are the most harmful external hazard. Beta particles can partially penetrate skin, causing “beta burns”. Alpha particles cannot penetrate intact skin.
Do radio waves go through your body? ›Energy from infrared light and radio waves is converted to heat in the body. We can feel the heat of infrared light because its energy is absorbed mostly by the skin. On the other hand, we cannot feel radio waves because these emit their energy deeper in the body, under the heat-sensitive cells of the skin.
What is the safest type of radiation? ›A type of radiation treatment called proton beam radiation therapy may be safer and just as effective as traditional radiation therapy for adults with advanced cancer.
What is the most powerful quote ever? ›- 21 Of The World's Most Powerful Quotes, Updated For Today. ...
- “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” ...
- “Everybody is a genius. ...
- “A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.” ...
- “He who fears he will suffer, already suffers because he fears.”
- “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” – ...
- “You call it madness, but I call it love.” – ...
- “We can only learn to love by loving.” – ...
- “A life lived in love will never be dull.” – ...
- “Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” – ...
- “All you need is love.” – ...
- “True love stories never have endings.” –
A basic rule for easily predicting approximate future exposure rates is called the "7-10 Rule of Thumb." This rule, based on exposure rates determined by survey instruments, states that for every seven-fold increase in time after detonation of a nuclear device, there is a 10-fold decrease in the radiation exposure rate ...
How do I nuclear proof my house? ›To seal a room:
Seal all windows, rooms and air vents in one room with 2-4 mil. thick plastic sheeting and duct tape. You might want to measure an duct the plastic sheeting in advance to save time. Cut the plastic sheeting at least six inches wider than the openings and label each sheet.
GET INSIDE: After a detonation, you will have 10 minutes or more to find an adequate shelter before fallout arrives. If a multi-story building or a basement can be safely reached within a few minutes of the explosion, go there immediately. The safest buildings have brick or concrete walls.
What are 5 famous quotes? ›| Quote | Who | Language |
|---|---|---|
| That's one small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind. | Neil Armstrong | English |
| The love of money is the root of all evil. | the Bible | Greek |
| The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. | Franklin D. Roosevelt | English |
| The truth will set you free. | the Bible | Greek |
What is a famous quote from the intelligent investor? ›
- “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” ...
- “An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return. ...
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What is a famous quote from the Wealth of Nations? ›“Wherever there is great property, there is great inequality.” “Man is an animal that makes bargains: no other animal does this - no dog exchanges bones with another.” “Nobody ever saw a dog make a fair and deliberate exchange of one bone for another with another dog.
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- “Magic is believing in yourself. ...
- “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them” – Walt Disney.
- “The real test is not whether you avoid this failure…
“Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” This famous Buffett quote strikes at the heart of the “value investor” approach and reveals the secret of how Buffett made his fortune.
What is the highest intelligence quotes? ›- "The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence." — J. ...
- "The measure of intelligence is the ability to change." — Albert Einstein.
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"The first rule of an investment is don't lose (money). And the second rule of an investment is don't forget the first rule. And that's all the rules there are." This is the table-setter for all of Buffett's comments on investing.
What is the most accepted theory of everything? ›Over the past few centuries, two theoretical frameworks have been developed that, together, most closely resemble a theory of everything. These two theories upon which all modern physics rests are general relativity and quantum mechanics.
What is the most popular theory of everything? ›String theory
This is probably the best known theory of everything, and the most heavily studied.
COCO CHANEL is reputed to have said, “The best things in life are free.
What is a famous quote about money and greed? ›
More Quotes on Greed
Avarice hoards itself poor; charity gives itself rich. We're all born brave, trusting and greedy, and most of us remain greedy. There is no calamity greater than lavish desires There is no greater guilt than discontentment And there is no greater disaster than greed.
A man's true wealth is the good he does in this world.
What did Mark Twain say about the rich? ›“We were always going to be rich—next year,” Twain recalled. “It's good to begin life poor; it is good to begin life rich—these are wholesome, but to begin it poor and prospectively rich! The man who has not experienced it cannot imagine the curse of it!”