Randy Arozarena’s Mom Threw One of the Absolute Best First Pitches of the Year

This was a really special moment for the Tampa Bay Rays outfielder.
Randy Arozarena’s Mom Threw One of the Absolute Best First Pitches of the Year
Randy Arozarena’s Mom Threw One of the Absolute Best First Pitches of the Year /

The MLB postseason got off to an exciting and sentimental start Tuesday as the mother of Tampa Bay outfielder Randy Arozarena, Sandra Gonzalez, threw out the first pitch of the wild-card game between the Rays and Rangers at Tropicana Field.

It was Gonzalez’s first time seeing her son play as a major leaguer, as she was granted a visa just last week to come see her son play in the United States.

Gonzalez threw a nearly perfect pitch to her son for the ceremonial pitch. As Bally Sports Florida’s Tricia Whitaker noted, it’s understandable where Arozarena gets his powerful arm.

Arozarena is a native of Cuba who emigrated to Mexico in 2015. He later became a Mexican citizen and played for the nation in the World Baseball Classic. His mother is a resident of Mexico.

Arozarena, who hit .254 with 23 home runs and 95 RBIs during the regular season, singled to center field in his first at-bat Tuesday.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.