Longoria Enjoyed Exciting, Surreal Night

By MARTIN FENNELLY The Tampa Tribune

Published: Apr 13, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Time did not stand still. Tectonic plates did not shift beneath ocean floors.

Just the same, Evan Longoria's major-league baseball career began Saturday night against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field.

It began with him starting at third base and batting sixth in the Rays order, with his parents, sister, three brothers and girlfriend having flown in from California to watch. No, angels did not weep at his coming. Nor did the Orioles, who won 3-2.

But he's here.

Everyone in both dugouts Saturday had a day like Evan Longoria's Saturday. True, not many of them had been as hailed and anticipated as Longoria, but every single big-league player has a day like this.

"Everybody starts somewhere," Rays outfielder Carl Crawford said.

The new man started with an RBI single in his third major-league at-bat. The new man, who shouldn't have been sent packing during spring training, returned sooner than expected, what with Rays injuries. He arrived from Triple-A Durham late Friday night, and didn't go to bed until 2:30 Saturday morning.

Nervous For First At-Bat

He woke up at about 9:30, thought about what was about to happen, and couldn't get back to sleep. He arrived at the Trop at around 2 in the afternoon. Some of his new teammates were in the clubhouse when the 22-year-old they call "Longo" arrived.

"I didn't want to get here before everyone today, because I'd catch some kind of flak for that," Longoria said with a grin.

"Yeah, I was nervous," he said of his first at-bat.

Just three weeks ago, the Rays sent Longoria down. He didn't agree with the decision - who did? - but he didn't go nuts, either, even though he was the best third baseman in Rays training camp. Longo merely pawn in game of life.

But when he looked at the lineup card posted in the clubhouse Saturday, his name was on it. He was a big-leaguer.

"It's exciting," Longoria said.

"The message I wanted to bring to Evan today was just go out there and kind of go about your business …" Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "You're not here to be the savior, you're not here to put us in first place, just come out here and be our third baseman and play like you did this spring."

Carl Crawford made his major-league debut in 2002 at Toronto. "Who's not nervous in his first at-bat?" Crawford said Saturday. "It was like my arms went numb on me or something." He singled in two runs his third time up in his debut. Friday night, Crawford collected the 1,000th hit of his career.

We have no idea if Evan Longoria will get 1,000 hits, or 100 hits, or 10 hits.

We only know he's here.

And here he should stay.

Zimmer Remembers His Call-Up

Rays senior baseball advisor Don Zimmer tripled in his first big-league at-bat. He remembers everything about it. It was 54 years ago.

He remembers the phone call, too. He was playing minor-league ball when the Brooklyn Dodgers called to tell him to join the big club. Don Zimmer's father was with him.

"While I was on the phone I turned to my dad and gave him a thumbs-up," Zimmer said. "He was a tough guy, but I saw those tears streaming down his face. I had to turn away."

Mike Longoria, Evan's dad, called Saturday night "surreal."

He caught his breath.

"You can't put it into words."

His son grounded to second his first time up, and grounded to second and reached on an error his next time up.

And in the bottom of the sixth inning, he pulled a ground ball through the hole and into left field for an RBI single.

In the eighth, with the game tied at 2, he went to the plate thinking home run. He eventually worked a walk, but only after hitting a towering foul ball to left.

"Imagine if it had stayed fair," Mike Longoria said.

Back to his son's single. The Baltimore catcher took the baseball Evan Longoria hit for his first hit and rolled it to a Rays ball boy, who then tossed it to Rays outfielder Jonny Gomes for safekeeping.

Everybody starts somewhere.