The Tampa Bay Rays have tied up the ALCS in Game 2, and fans on social media predicted it based on their iconic jerseys.
The Tampa Bay Rays answered a Game 1 loss in the American League Championship series with a spirited Game 2 victory. On Tuesday night, the team beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-1, taking a lead in the fourth inning that they never relinquished.
Freddy Peralta gave up zero runs in his six innings as the starting pitcher, setting the Rays up for their triumph. The middle order in the batting lineup was crucial in securing the runs that got them the win. Some fans on social media already know it was coming, though, and it had nothing to do with the players.
MLB fans think the Tampa Bay Rays wearing their throwback jerseys was crucial for them to win Game 2
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays debuted in 1998 with white home jerseys featuring a distinctive rainbow-gradient wordmark. The franchise dropped ‘Devil’ and rebranded as the Rays in 2008, but they added the throwback jerseys to their rotation in 2023.
Sports fans can be quite superstitious, to say the least. So as soon as it was announced that the Rays would be wearing these jerseys, some fans were sure a win was coming.
“Throwbacks in the ALCS is a power move. The market’s acting like uniforms don’t matter. Tonight, they matter a little,” one fan wrote. “Devil Rays uniforms means the devil magic is out tonight,” another comment suggested. “These uniforms are so iconic man, a win is guaranteed,” a third fan said.
“Throwback uniforms are undefeated. You pull those out in the playoffs and suddenly it’s 1998 again,” a fourth fan said. “The Devil Rays may not have won too much before the rebrand, but these uniforms are going to get them the win tonight,” a fifth fan claimed.
There is no tangible way in which choice of uniform can affect what a team’s performance will be like. However, sometimes sports fans can get a feeling about the most unexpected things. In this case, these fans were absolutely spot on.
Read more: