No player in baseball has seen his star ascend this October quite as much as Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena. A relative unknown heading into the playoffs, he's taken the AL side of the tournament by storm. He entered Game 7 of the ALCS hitting .364 with a ridiculous .782 slugging percentage in the postseason.
In the first inning of Game 7 vs. the Astros, Arozarena went deep again.
It's ridiculous. Arozarena wasn't even up with the Rays until Aug. 30. Now, on a team one win away from the World Series, he's the best hitter and it's not really even close. He has carried this offense in the ALCS.
That home run, by the way, is the seventh of the postseason for Arozarena, which sets the record for a rookie in the playoffs. The list of rookies to hit at least four:
1. Randy Arozarena, Rays - 7 in 2020
2. Evan Longoria, Rays - 6 in 2008
3. Kyle Schwarber, Cubs - 5 in 2015
T4. Aaron Judge, Yankees - 4 in 2017
T4. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins - 4 in 2003
If the Rays close things down, they'll get at least four World Series games. That would give Arozarena even more opportunities to pad his record. (It should be noted that the expanded postseason certainly makes it easier to homer seven times in a single tournament than it had been prior to this year.) The rookie record might end up being small potatoes, too. Arozarena isn't far off the record for a player of any level of service time.
The leaderboard for most home runs in a single postseason:
Tied for first:
Barry Bonds, Giants - 8 in 2002
Carlos Beltran, Astros - 8 in 2004
Nelson Cruz, Rangers - 8 in 2011
Tied for fourth:
Troy Glaus, Angels - 7 in 2002
B.J. Upton, Rays - 7 in 2008
Jayson Werth, Phillies - 7 in 2009
Daniel Murphy, Mets - 7 in 2015
Jose Altuve, Astros - 7 in 2017
Randy Arozarena, Rays - 7 in 2020
That's it. Those are the only eight other guys in Arozarena's class right now.
October 18, 2020 at 08:06AM
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Randy Arozarena, Rays' rookie sensation, sets MLB record with seventh postseason homer - CBS Sports
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