ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays are staring at a 3-0 deficit in the World Series, and Tuesday night at Tropicana Field they’ll lean on a familiar face for a little ceremony before Game 4.
Evan Longoria, the franchise icon and the greatest player in Rays history, is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. He’ll handle the honors after longtime manager Joe Maddon and pitcher James Shields took part before Game 3.
The timing fits the moment, even if the odds do not. Tampa Bay was hammered 10-1 on Monday and now trails the Brewers by three games to none in this Fall Classic.
Only one team has ever climbed back after falling behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven postseason series: the 2004 Red Sox, who came back to beat the Yankees in the ALCS. No team has even reached Game 6 after opening the World Series in that kind of hole.
Still, Longoria is tied to one of the most famous comeback stories in Rays history. Game 162 in 2011 still stands as the defining flashpoint, with Longoria at the center of Tampa Bay’s wild push to steal a Wild Card berth and make the postseason.
The organization has made sure his place in team history is unmistakable. Last summer, Longoria signed a ceremonial one-day contract and officially retired as a Ray. In July, the club devoted an entire weekend to him, first inducting him into the Rays Hall of Fame and then retiring his No. 3 jersey.
Longoria was also a central figure in the Rays’ rise in 2008, when they went from worst to first, reached the first World Series in franchise history and then added three more postseason trips over the next five seasons.
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