TAMPA RAYS MEET MLB RECORD Mike Wazowski Staff Writer This past Saturday, the Tampa Rays won their 8th straight game of the season. Only four other teams have ever won 8 consecutive games by 4 or more runs. The Rays had a relatively easy start to the season, playing first against the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Hawks, and the New York Islanders without much trouble. This past Saturday’s game gave the Rays a bit more trouble, however. Pitched against two toddlers in a trench coat and an automatic gumball machine, the game was a close call until a lucky stray gumball hit a soft spot in one of the toddlers’ heads (8-7), allowing the Rays to swoop in and collect over 19 home runs in a row!
genie, doesn’t it? We spoke with other Tampa Rays teammates to get their opinions on how this incredible moment came to be. Shortstop Wander Franco talked about the importance of teamwork: “We train hard as a team and that’s what makes the difference. There is no Franco or Ramírez, just the Rays and that’s how we work together as a unit.”
When asked about the winning streak, outfielder Harold Ramírez shared his lucky secret with the Associated Press: “Well I got this genie in a lamp from a cave that a merchant led me to. I had already wished for night vision and an Xbox 360, and the genie said it was “unethical” to wish for Sofia Coppola in my bed. So I had just been sitting on the last wish ever since then, like six years or so I think, until I was staring at those toddlers on the field and thought, ‘take em’ down,’ and boy did he!”
Manuel Margot had a slightly different take: “I think it might have had something to do with the sweet kiss Ramírez planted on the magic genie’s lips halfway through the first inning and the magic cloud of purple dust that burst out from them onto the whole field. Something really shifted in the air after that moment, and the toddlers just came crashing down.”
How inspiring! Makes you wish you had your own magic
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The Grape
Teammate Josh Lowe shared that sentiment, stating: “Really, it’s the fans that make it happen. We wouldn’t be anything without our city, without the people of Tampa.”
We’ll have to wait and see if the good luck continues, but one thing’s for sure: whether it’s the magic of a genie or the magic of baseball, Ramírez certainly rubbed something the right way last week.
Illustration by Teagan Hughes Editor-in-Chief