Randy Arozarena has got elite swagger to his game right now.
The Rays outfielder mashed another postseason home run Saturday night, separating himself from the most superior company in baseball. His nine homers set a new major-league record, passing Barry Bonds, Nelson Cruz, Carlos Beltrán and Corey Seager (eight HRs each). Arozarena’s 26 hits have also set a new record for most in a postseason by a rookie (Derek Jeter had 22 in 1996), and he’s tied with Pablo Sandoval for most hits overall.
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But when Arozarena stepped into the batter’s box in the ninth inning — with two outs and the Rays trailing the Dodgers by one run — this Arozarena moment wasn’t about him coming through with another record-breaking hit. And even after crushing a home run off Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen one day earlier, Arozarena added to his October legacy in a way he hadn’t imagined.
HISTORY!
Randy Arozarena now has the record for most home runs ever hit in a single Postseason! (9) pic.twitter.com/9pSwcVsm84
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 25, 2020
“Obviously, Randy has all the potential in the world to win us the ballgame there,” said outfielder Brett Phillips, who turned out to be Tampa Bay’s hero in Game 4.
Arozarena’s body movement and facial reaction during his battle with Jansen showed he clearly wanted to change World Series with one swing of the bat. But the Dodgers reliever pitched him tough, getting ahead in the count 1-2. Arozarena then held off back-to-back cutters that were called balls to bring the count to 3-2, before fouling off a slider.
Jansen’s seventh pitch was another slider, this one in the dirt, that didn’t induce much movement from Arozarena. As the ball dribbled over the plate, Arozarena stood motionless inside the box and stared at the ground for a moment before trotting off to first base. In the moment, he looked disappointed he wasn’t given a better pitch to put a swing on.
“He’s been the best player on the planet the last month and a half, by far,” center fielder Kevin Kiermaier said. “For a guy with as little experience as him to come up in a huge situation off a guy who he hit a homer off of last night, you think, ‘What’s Randy going to do in this situation? Is he going to be aggressive? Is he going to work the count?’ I don’t think they really necessarily wanted to pitch to him or give him anything to hit because he’ll make you pay just as he’s done this whole postseason.
“They probably liked their chances against Brett Phillips.”
RAYS WIN! RAYS WIN! WHAT JUST HAPPENED!! WOW! pic.twitter.com/2G1vyOFkji
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 25, 2020
Arozarena’s walk, which moved the tying run (Kiermaier) into scoring position, was followed by waves of blurriness and pandemonium across Globe Life Field.
Phillips, who wasn’t even on the ALCS roster, came through with the winning, two-RBI hit to right-center field. Dodgers outfielder Chris Taylor, playing in place of Cody Bellinger, bobbled the ball, which caused third-base coach Rodney Linares to wave both Kiermaier and Arozarena home. Infielder Max Muncy was the cutoff man for L.A., but catcher Will Smith failed to haul in Muncy’s throw, allowing the ball to bounce toward the backstop. Arozarena, after stumbling and falling on his way home, picked himself up and slid head-first for the victory, providing the ultimate exclamation point to a back-and-forth game.
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“We’ve had some pretty exciting moments this 2020 postseason,” manager Kevin Cash said. “This is right there (at the top).”
Upon being called safe at home, Arozarena smacked the plate multiple times as his teammates rushed to center field and mobbed Phillips. The final scoreboard read Rays 8, Dodgers 7. Thanks to Arozarena and Phillips’ clutch two-out moments, Tampa Bay has tied its series with Los Angeles at 2-2.
Best game I’ve ever been apart of
— Brandon Lowe (@Sweet_n_Lowe5) October 25, 2020
Arozarena didn’t get the big hit this time around, but thanks to his patience to walk on seven pitches, the 25-year-old playoff sensation still represented the winning run.
“Obviously, being at first base, all I was thinking about was running hard, running as hard as I could,” Arozarena said through Spanish translator Manny Navarro. “Once I got to a certain spot, I saw the ball got bobbled. … I tripped but all I was thinking about was winning the game. As soon as the ball was hit, I was thinking ‘score.’ By the time (Linares) was sending me, I was thinking I was going to score anyway.
“It feels really good to break (the postseason home run and hits) records, but the most important thing was we got the win in such a tough game like today.”
Linares didn’t even think twice about sending Arozarena when he saw Phillips’ hit drop in right-center, knowing Kiermaier and Arozarena are Tampa Bay’s quickest players.
“We have one of the best runners in Randy,” Linares said. “Even if he doesn’t stumble, I think he scores anyway. I’m happy it turned out the way it did. That’s one of the best moments in baseball right there. … He had the presence of mind to keep his (eye) on the ball. He didn’t have to wait for me to tell him to go. I kept pointing and yelling at him in Spanish to go, but that was just a credit to his athleticism. That’s the type of player he is.
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“As soon as I saw Randy hit (second base) and I saw the ball come up, I’m (thinking), ‘We should take a chance right here.’ It’s mostly instinct. Everybody says I send everybody (laughs), so it was a good send. It was probably a magical moment because he kind of ended up crawling to the plate and then just stomping on the plate. I kind of blacked out for a minute.”
Randy Arozarena stumbles between third base and home plate before scoring the winning run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning of Game 4. (Kevin Jairaj / USA Today)
Arozarena added to his October legacy with another spectacular overall performance Saturday night. After his three-hit and one-walk night, Arozarena is hitting .357 with a 1.286 OPS.
His incredible journey has been well documented. Five years ago, Arozarena escaped his native Cuba on a boat and sailed through the Gulf of Mexico, seeking an opportunity to play professional baseball in the United States. He was acquired by the Rays in a trade with the Cardinals this past winter and showed glimpses of his talent in spring training, but then he contracted COVID-19 and his regular-season reps were limited. Turns out, it didn’t matter.
Arozarena is shining under the brightest lights and re-writing baseball history with his nightly performances throughout the postseason.
“He’s been flawless essentially the whole playoffs. He’s doing special things right now,” Kiermaier said. “This is something that could really propel a team.”
Added Phillips, the Rays’ latest man of the hour: “I was the happiest person in the world when Randy scored.”
(Top photo: Cooper Neill / MLB Photos via Getty Images)