Tyler Glasnow wasn’t exactly hard to spot at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. The Dodgers starter was there to watch the Rays, sitting with former teammates Pete Fairbanks and Zach Eflin, as Tampa Bay tried to claw its way back from the brink against the Milwaukee Brewers.
He wasn’t the only familiar face in the building, either. Chris Archer and Kevin Kiermaier were also there to support their old team, and Randy Arozarena has been at games cheering on the Rays as well.
That, apparently, was enough to send some fans into a spiral.
The Rays had their backs against the wall in Game 4, trailing 3-0 and staring at what looked like the first World Series sweep since 2012. Instead, they survived a 12-inning battle that saw both clubs use a combined 15 pitchers and clear their benches. Ben Williamson finished the job with a walk-off single, keeping Tampa Bay alive.
For a franchise that has long left former players with strong feelings, none of this should be shocking. The Rays organization still has plenty of pull with ex-players, even with the realities of the Rays Way and the fact that many of those guys were eventually moved on because the team wasn’t willing to re-sign or extend them.
Still, one complaint making the rounds took direct aim at the optics of it all:
“Is it not super weird to anyone else that the Rays have active pitchers that they traded away at their games as VIPs cheering for them? https://t.co/gZdtFsfCvU”
- Bryce (@mlbeuphoria) October 28, 2026
The backlash has mostly landed on Glasnow, and that probably has more to do with the uniform he wears now than anything else. Archer works in the Dodgers’ front office, and Kiermaier spent time with the club in 2024, so the “weird” part doesn’t hold much water.
What’s actually happening here is pretty simple: former Rays are showing up to root for friends. Glasnow’s Dodgers were knocked out by a better team.
Eflin’s Baltimore Orioles and Fairbanks’ Miami Marlins didn’t make the postseason at all. None of them are there chasing a contract or angling for a reunion.
They’re just fans for the night.
And after Tampa Bay absorbed a 10-1 loss in Game 3, Game 4 felt like a statement that this wasn’t going to end quietly. The Brewers still control the series, but the Rays at least reminded everyone why they finished as the best team in the American League this year.
In other words: this is just baseball.
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Dodgers Face One Crucial Free Agency Call After Costly Misses
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Brandon Gomes has already acknowledged the uneven regular-season returns from Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz, even as both players made meaningful postseason contributions, which only adds to the sense that Los Angeles has decisions to sort through on the margins as much as the stars. One of those calls centers on left-handed reliever Alex Vesia, who is also headed for free agency and could draw interest elsewhere even if the Dodgers try to keep him on a team-friendly deal. [Read more 🡒]