Joe Maddon, the manager who helped guide Tampa Bay's baseball franchise out of its woebegone Devil Rays phase and into an era of enduringly surprising success, will throw out the first pitch at Game 3 of the World Series Monday, Oct. 26 at Tropicana Field.
In the first World Series game played at the Trop since Maddon's 2008 Rays squad defeated the Philadelphia Phillies
4-2 in Game 2, these Rays will aim to start the climb out of a 2-0 hole against the Milwaukee Brewers.Maddon, 72, managed in Tampa Bay from 2006 to 2014, a stint that began with a 101-loss season in 2006. By 2008, the club shed the "Devil" from its nickname, debuted a rookie named Evan Longoria and won 97 games and the AL East. It was a stunning rise: A club that had never posted
a winning record, never lost fewer than 91 games, boxing out the behemoth New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to win the East and, ultimately, the AL pennant.
Maddon eventually posted a 754-705 record in Tampa Bay before following club president Andrew Friedman – who left to run the big-market Los Angeles Dodgers – out the door following the 2014 season. Maddon chose Chicago as his destination and, in his second year managing the Cubs, led them to their first World Series championship since 1908.
Maddon, who lives in California, went on to manage the Los Angeles Angels for three seasons before he was fired during the 2022 campaign. He's maintained ties to the Tampa Bay area, continuing to host a "Thanksmas" event to benefit the unhoused at an Italian restauarant he co-owns in Tampa.
The Rays have advanced to two World Series behind Maddon's successor, Kevin Cash, who led them to the 2020 World Series during the pandemic-shortened season that culminated in a neutral-site Fall Classic played in Arlington, Texas.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is throwing first pitch for World Series Game 3? Rays tap former manager
