Longo relives glory days during visit to the Trop

ST. PETERSBURG -- Evan Longoria walked to the mound on Saturday afternoon, wearing a personalized No. 3 City Connect jersey and accompanied by the familiar electric violin riff of Tantric’s “Down and Out.” He waved to the cheering crowd, fired a ceremonial first pitch to manager Kevin Cash, tipped his cap and rejoined his wife, Jaime, and three children near the home dugout.

Finally, the greatest player in Tampa Bay franchise history had returned to Tropicana Field.

Before arriving Saturday to sign autographs, throw out the first pitch and appear on the team’s TV and radio broadcasts, Longoria had been back to the Rays’ ballpark just once since he was traded to the Giants in December 2017: He took his family to the Enchant Christmas show the winter before he signed with the D-backs.

Saturday felt a little bit more meaningful.

“The one thing that I felt like I missed in my career was the opportunity to come back here,” said Longoria, standing in the back of the Trop press box. “More importantly, as a player, to have that opportunity to come back and play in front of the fans, but it still felt pretty special to be back in this capacity and have my whole family here and be able to kind of enjoy that moment.”

He admitted to getting “a little bit emotional” while watching a video montage before his first pitch. There he was, catching the postseason-clinching out down the third-base line in 2008. Hitting for the second cycle in franchise history. And, of course, ripping the walk-off homer in Game 162 that sent the Rays to the 2011 playoffs.

Having spent 10 seasons with the Rays, Longoria is their all-time leader in games played (1,435), home runs (261), RBIs (892), runs (780), total bases (2,630) and several other categories.

“This guy is the epitome of what a professional baseball player looks like,” said Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt, Longoria’s teammate in Tampa Bay and San Francisco. “Evan Longoria is everything that's good about our game, and what a wonderful career he had."

The club recognized his accomplishments with a statue outside the ballpark last year. He’s a lock to join the Rays Hall of Fame at some point. It’s not officially retired, but nobody has worn Longoria’s No. 3 since he last donned a Tampa Bay uniform -- a fact that’s not lost on him.

“There's not many higher honors. Being in the Hall of Fame here and having your number [retired], there's only a few numbers hung up on the wall out there,” he said. “I would definitely be honored if they asked me to retire the number. I just think it's pretty special that nobody's worn it yet.”

Longoria also spent some time speaking to Cash -- who joked about batting him third against the Guardians, if he was up for it -- as well as coaches, players and staff by the Rays' dugout about 20 minutes before first pitch. He hugged and posed for pictures with Isaac Paredes, who will join Longoria as the only All-Star third basemen in club history.

“It's all pretty nostalgic. … Just so many good memories over the years. I missed playing at this stadium. I missed being here,” he said. “I don't think I ever took it for granted when I left. It wasn't like I was, like, ready to leave, you know? It wasn't like I was hoping to get out.

“So when I did leave, I was always hoping for that opportunity to come back. This was great. Hopefully, we can spend a little bit more time here with the family and get to make some new memories.”

Longoria said he misses the camaraderie and other aspects of baseball, but not the stress or the struggles. He’s enjoying being a husband and dad during the summer, something his career never allowed. He has yet to decide on a post-playing career in the game and whether that will come after his kids get older or in a lesser role before then.

Longoria said he hasn’t filed any retirement papers, but he’s all but officially ended his playing career, noting that he wanted to finish “playing the game with a good taste in my mouth.”

Unless…

“Ultimately, I felt like one of the only things I haven't accomplished is winning a World Series,” he said. “So if you said I would go hit .080 for the rest of the season, but the team would win the World Series, then I'd go do it. But that's probably about the only thing I'd want to do.”