Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day: Tom Foley to throw ceremonial first pitch

The Tampa Bay Rays have announced that longtime coach and current special assistant, Tom Foley, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Foley has been with the organization since before they even played their first game, as he was hired in 1996 to coach in the lower level of the system. He eventually moved up to the major league level in 2002 to become the team’s new third base coach. He would hold that position until the 2015 season, when he took over as the bench coach.

Foley stepped down from the position following the 2017 season so he wouldn’t have to travel as often. However, he is still with team as a special assistant for baseball operations.

During his playing days, Foley was a 7th round draft pick in 1977. He wouldn’t reach the majors until 1983 and played until 1995 with the bulk of his time spent with the Montreal Expos, having also spent some time with the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, to go along with the Cincinnati Reds, by whom he was drafted. Overall he hit .244/.303/.344 with 32 HR, accruing a total of 5.0 fWAR.

2018 will be his 42nd in professional baseball and 23rd with the Rays.