Tampa Bay Rays make history against the Red Sox on Friday

The Tampa Bay Rays added to the oddity of the shortened 2020 MLB season on Friday by making history in the strangest of fashions.

Just when you thought you’ve seen it all — a DH in the National League, the extra-inning rule, 7-inning doubleheaders — on Friday, the Tampa Bay Rays made history by doing something that has never been done in the Modern Era (post-1900). Facing off against the Boston Red Sox on Friday, the Rays turned in an all-lefty lineup.

I’m talking pure lefties too; there were no switch hitters. And to secure that perhaps this will never be done again, they even threw in a left-handed starter on the mound in Blake Snell to kick things off.

Now, if you thought there couldn’t possibly be any more lefties left on the Rays roster, after using two righty pitchers to collect 5 outs in relief of Snell, Rays manager Kevin Cash went back-to-back lefties in Ryan Sherriff and John Curtiss to close the doors against the Sox.

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The lefty onslaught worked too as the Rays handed the Sox their 30th loss of the season, the most of any team in MLB. It wasn’t even close either.

To make things worse, a left-hander, Matt Hall of the Red Sox took the loss.

The Tampa Bay Rays have been one of the more exciting stories in the AL in 2020. After starting the season looking up at the New York Yankees, the Rays now have a pretty secure 4.5-game lead in the AL East.

What’s more, they’re currently just 1.0 GB behind the 1-seed Oakland Athletics in the AL Playoff Picture.

So, mark this down as just another oddity of the year 2020, it never ceases to amaze us.

What isn’t a surprise, however, is that the Tampa Bay Rays are a good team. I mean, really really good.