PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — After announcing earlier this year of its inaugural Hall of Fame class, the Tampa Bay Rays have more plans to honor the team's history.
Before the start of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sept. 23, the Rays said they will unveil two statues of team legends Evan Longoria and Akinori Iwamura to commemorate historic moments within the franchise.
After the unveiling, the statues will be placed in permanent locations outside of Tropicana Field.
Fans who attend the game against Toronto will also receive two replica figurines of the Longoria and Iwamura statues while supplies last.
The statues were made by local sculptor Steven Dickey in collaboration with Bronzart Foundry Inc. and each one will represent an iconic moment in Rays history, the team said in a news release.
The one of Longoria will be of his 12-inning walk-off home run against the New York Yankees to lich the 2011 AL Wild Card in Game 162, and the Iwamura statue will be of when he stepped on second base and jumped into the air for the final out, which clinched the 2008 American League pennant and sent the team to its first World Series in Rays history.
This year is the Rays' 25th season in the MLB and have already celebrated its history in different ways this season. To learn more about the Rays' 25th-anniversary campaign, click here.
Tampa Bay currently sits in first place in the AL East with a 60-38 winning record. The team's next game is scheduled at 2:05 p.m. Wednesday, July 19 against the Texas Rangers.