Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena shines the brightest in the postseason, and he is already a winner on Tuesday regardless of how Tampa Bay fares against the Rangers.
Arozarena was reunited with his mother, Sandra Gonzalez, ahead of Game 1, after she secured a visa that will allow her to watch her son play in the majors for the first time.
In a heartfelt moment before Game 1, Arozarena caught the ceremonial first pitch from his mother. The pitch itself was thoroughly impressive.
Arozarena told reporters before the game that his mom throws hard, and he nailed her scouting report.
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Gonzalez moved from Cuba to Mexico in 2017, just a couple of years after her son defected.
Arozarena has spent plenty of time in Mexico ever since, having a child in the country and representing Mexico in the World Baseball Classic earlier this year, but his mother had not been able to make it to the U.S. to see her son's MLB career take flight.
That changed on Tuesday, and what better time for a reunion than the postseason? Arozarena has a career 1.121 OPS across 120 postseason plate appearances, and he has a chance to add to his legacy in front of his mother in Tampa this week.