Arozarena inaugurates Randy Land in first at-bat

The Tampa Bay Rays are on a historic season start in 2023 and none of their players quite capture the excitement of the crowd like Randy Arozarena.

The Mexican outfielder has been phenomenal at the bat and has been the standout talisman of the Rays offense. So much so, that the Rays decided to create a section of the stadium devoted to him.

Dubbed “Randy Land,” everyone seated in section 141 in left field during Friday’s Yankees game would be given a free beer, soda, or water if Randy Arozarena hit a home run. Hearing about the move on Thursday, Arozarena said, “I’m hoping to hit a home run so that everybody drinks happily.”

He did. In his first at-bat.

Perhaps nobody should be shocked, given that he is slashing .325/.391/.590 with an .891 OPS and nine home runs. But for the fans in section 141, their man came through for them just when they needed him to.

And few players show the fans the love that Arozarena does. Since the World Baseball Classic, he has captured the imagination of the entire baseball world, and in particular those in Tampa Bay.

“It makes me happy to see that the fans get super excited when I go out there, because I like that happiness to be reciprocated. So if I go out there, and they know that I’m having fun, I want them to also get the same experience. They help me play. They bring the energy out. And if I can do the same thing for them, if I can make an impact on every single one of those fans, then that’s something I want.”

If you want to be a part of Randy Land, tickets in the 360-seat section are $49 and include a Randy Land T-shirt, plus cardboard cutouts of Arozarena, Mexican flags and other signs to show their support during the game.