Rays first base coach Ozzie Timmons got quite a workout Tuesday night. He has the Rays’ offense to thank for that. You see, every time Tampa Bay scores a run, the former MLB outfielder drops down and does 10 pushups (“Blue, how come there’s no ice in my lemonade??”). Exhibit A:
Look at that technique! Pretty impressive for a 50-year-old who hasn’t played a major-league inning in over two decades. As noted by TBS sideline reporter Lauren Shehadi, occasionally the Rays will increase the degree of difficulty for Timmons by placing a bag of baseballs on his back. Blake Snell, who pitched in Monday’s series opener (which the Yankees won by a final count of 9-3), has also been known to pour sunflower seeds on his coach as a “show of support.” That sounds more like a waste of sunflower seeds than anything, but you do you, Blake.
The Rays scored seven times in their victory over the Yankees, running Timmons’ final pushup tally to an even 70. Tampa Bay is known for keeping things loose in the dugout (a mood first established by Joe Maddon and later passed down to current manager Kevin Cash) with Timmons’ pushup routine providing just another example. It seems to be working for the Rays, who garnered the American League’s top playoff seed on the strength of a 40-20 regular-season record.
The Rays and Yankees will return to the diamond for Game 3 of the ALDS Wednesday night in San Diego with New York serving as the nominal “home team” in that one. Charlie Morton and Masahiro Tanaka are listed as the scheduled starters, though it’s hard to trust the Yankees after they pulled a fast one on the Rays in Game 2, “starting” rookie Deivi Garcia before handing the ball to veteran J.A. Happ in the second inning.
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