Randy Arozarena Had One of the Best Rookie Showings in World Series History for Rays

Randy Arozarena took the baseball world by storm with his record setting performance for the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2020 World Series.

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The Tampa Bay Rays watched, along with the rest of the baseball world, as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in an epic seven-game series to win the World Series this year.

It was a back-and-forth affair with both teams looking to have gained control throughout the seven games on numerous occasions. Alas, it was the Dodgers who were able to outlast the Blue Jays, winning Game 7 in 11 innings.

Part of the reason Toronto was in a position to win their first championship since 1993 was the performance of pitcher, Trey Yesavage. A first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, he moved through five levels of the minor leagues before reaching the Big Leagues on Sept. 15.

Despite having only 14 Major League innings of experience, he was part of the team’s postseason roster every step of the way. And when manager John Schneider called his number, he delivered more often than not.

What stood out the most was his performance in the World Series. Yesavage took the ball in Game 1 and Game 5, both Blue Jays victories. His second start is the one that caught everyone’s attention, mowing down 12 Los Angeles batters in seven innings of work, allowing only one earned run.

Rays received one of best rookie World Series performances from Randy Arozarena

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That got people thinking about what the best World Series performances for rookies have been in the history of the game. One that stands out, in the opinion of Eva Geitheim of Sports Illustrated, is Randy Arozarena for the Rays in 2020.

That postseason, he was on fire. He produced a .377/.442/.831 slash line across 86 plate appearances with an MLB playoff record 10 home runs. His 29 hits were also the most in a single playoffs.

Named the ALCS MVP, he was a major reason the team was able to get past the New York Yankees in the ALDS and Houston Astros in the ALCS before being defeated by the Dodgers in six games.

Arozarena’s production didn’t slow down against the 2020 champs. In 26 plate appearances, he had a .364/.462/.773 slash line with eight total hits, three of which were home runs, and four RBI.

He was also part of arguably the most memorable play in Tampa Bay franchise history. When Brett Phillips, who recently announced his retirement, got the walk-off hit in Game 4, it was Arozarena who scored the winning run.

He will live on in Rays lore for what he accomplished during his tenure with the team before being traded to the Seattle Mariners ahead of the MLB trade deadline in 2024 in exchange for a package that included outfielder Aidan Smith.