Rays' Ryan Pepiot Set to Experience Massive Full-Circle Moment in 22nd Start
In this story:
On Saturday night, everything is going to come full circle for Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Ryan Pepiot.
Pepiot (6-8, 3.59 ERA) will make his team-leading 22nd start at Great American Ball Park against the Cincinnati Reds, which is a first for Pepiot against a team he spent his childhood watching.
Growing up in Westfield, Ind., Pepiot and his family lived just over two hours away from Great American Ball Park. As a kid, he would make day trips with his brother, Kyle, and his father, Mike, to go watch the Reds play.
Pepiot cheered on Ken Griffey Jr., Sean Casey, Joey Votto and other Reds legends. Now, he will take the same field on which they all once played.
“To toe the rubber as a player for the first time, it's pretty cool,” Pepiot told the media. “It’s pretty special to remember sitting in my backyard, the days playing with the ball and imagining playing in this place, and now I get to.”
Pepiot also estimates that he will have around 200 or more family, friends and other supporters from his hometown of Westfield, Ind., traveling about 200 miles to Cincinnati to cheer him on, marking a highlight moment of his four-year career.
A pretty surreal moment for #Rays Ryan Pepiot today, who pitches against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ballpark for the first time. As a kid — he, his brother Kyle and father Mike would make day trips from their Indiana home to Cincinnati, cheering on Ken Griffey Jr.,… pic.twitter.com/L6xk7Hem6l
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) July 26, 2025
At Westfield High School, Pepiot was a three-sport athlete, excelling in baseball, football and basketball. In his senior year, Pepiot became a Class 5A All-State quarterback.
After high school, Pepiot chose baseball, staying close to home for college by attending Butler University in Indianapolis. In his junior season with the Bulldogs, Pepiot broke the school’s career strikeout record (306) and the single-season record (126).
Pepiot has quite the challenge ahead of him in the Reds, who lead the National League with 665 hits against right-handers. Taking the mound for Cincinnati is All-Star southpaw Andrew Abbott (8-1, 2.13). The first pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. ET.
Related Rays Stories
- KIM BACK TO IL: Health has been an issue for Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Ha-Seong Kim as his struggles continue to plague his availability. CLICK HERE
- ZACK LITTELL NOT FAZED BY LOOMING TRADE DEADLINE: Tampa Bay pitcher Zack Littell has had a good year, and has an expiring contract. That makes him an enticing target with the trade deadline just a week away. The 29-year-old said the rumors don't bother him, because he's been through this before. CLICK HERE
- RAYS 2025 SCHEDULE: Here is the complete 2025 Tampa Bay Rays schedule, with dates, locations, game times and results in real time. CLICK HERE
Don Strouble is a sports journalist who covers Tampa Bay Rays baseball and other sports for the ‘’On SI’’ network. He is a Northeast Ohio native and currently lives in Orlando, Fla.
Follow DonDocuments407