ST. PETERSBURG — Brett Phillips doesn’t need a bat to make Rays fans smile anymore.
Six years after the hit that made him a Tampa Bay folk hero, the Seminole High graduate is back with his hometown team. He just wears a polo shirt now.
Phillips, 32, has just finished his first season as the Rays’ brand engagement executive. The job has no set description. Mostly, it means being Brett Phillips.
He picked quite a year to come back. The Rays reached the World Series for the first time since 2020, the year Phillips gave the franchise one of its biggest moments. The run brought the World Series back to Tropicana Field for the first time since 2008
Rays fans know the 2020 moment by heart.
Game 4 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Bottom of the ninth. Two outs. Rays down a run.
Phillips lined a single off Kenley Jansen. Center fielder Chris Taylor bobbled the ball, and Kevin Kiermaier scored the tying run. Randy Arozarena stumbled rounding third, then scrambled home when catcher Will Smith couldn’t handle the relay.
Rays 8, Dodgers 7. Series tied 2-2.
Phillips sprinted across the outfield with his arms spread like an airplane. He later needed an IV. The Rays lost the series in six games, but the hit lived on.
Phillips grew up a Rays fan in Seminole. The Houston Astros drafted him in the sixth round in 2012, straight out of high school. He debuted with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017, played for Kansas City and joined the Rays in a 2020 trade. Tampa Bay dealt him to Baltimore in 2022. He later tried to reinvent himself as a pitcher before retiring.
As the Rays changed ownership, Phillips kept emailing the new group, pitching ways he could help. That led to an hourlong meeting with CEO Ken Babby at baseball’s Winter Meetings in Orlando. Babby created a role around him.
Phillips started in February. On game days, he works the Draft Room Lounge, visits suites, walks the concourses and greets kids on the field. He works with sponsors and shows up at community events. In December, he represented the club at the MLB draft lottery, where the Rays landed the No. 2 pick.
In May, he even pulled off his shirt and joined the “Tarps Off” crowd in left field during a win over the Los Angeles Angels.
With a young daughter at home, Phillips wanted to stay in the game without the grind of a season.
“I just keep going back to the Rays’ fans, really,” Phillips told MLB.com in February.
Babby gave him one standing order. Every time the Rays win, Phillips has to fly the airplane.
He got plenty of practice this year.
Quick hits
St. Pete boys, Palm Harbor girls win PCAC swim titles
St. Petersburg High won the Pinellas County Athletic Conference boys swimming championship Sept. 26 at the Southwest Complex in Largo, and Palm Harbor University ran away with the girls title.
The St. Petersburg boys held off Palm Harbor University 535-515. Osceola finished third (294), followed by Seminole (163) and East Lake (147).
The Green Devils’ juniors led the way. Cobe Hehenberger won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:31.53 and finished with three golds and a silver. Christian Guettler added two golds and two silvers, and Nolan Kurtz had two golds and a bronze.
Seminole senior Joey Campagnola had the meet’s fastest swims. He won the 100 butterfly in 49.36 and the 200 freestyle in 1:40.65. Palm Harbor University senior Ashton Hanna collected two golds and two silvers.
On the girls side, Palm Harbor University scored 542 points to beat St. Petersburg by 148. Osceola was third (255), followed by Seminole (220) and East Lake (187).
Seminole junior Alex Clark won all four of her events. She took the 50 freestyle in 23.77 and the 200 freestyle in 1:51.86.
St. Petersburg freshman Ansley Bess won the 500 freestyle in 4:59.69 and finished second to Clark in the 200 free in 1:52.19. Teammate Brinkleigh Hansen, a junior, had two golds and two silvers, and sophomore Skyler Ross added a gold and two silvers.
Palm Harbor University sophomore Amaya Ballesteros won one event and took second in another.
Osceola sweeps PCAC cross country titles
Osceola swept the boys and girls team titles at the Pinellas County Athletic Conference cross country championships Oct. 23 at Taylor Park in Largo. Largo senior Isaiah Howdeshell and East Lake senior Katelin Wilcox won the individual titles.
Howdeshell covered the 5,000-meter course in 15:08.10, nearly 50 seconds ahead of Palm Harbor University senior Matthew Hood (15:57.60). East Lake senior Theodore Houk was third in 16:01.20, and St. Petersburg junior Justin Garbowicz was fourth in 16:03.60.
The Osceola boys scored 41 points, well ahead of Dunedin (79), Palm Harbor University (86) and St. Petersburg (97).
Osceola won with depth. All five of its scorers finished in the top 12, and only 34 seconds separated its first and fifth runners. Junior Sebastian Laviano led the way in fifth (16:09.90), followed by junior Duncan Mehltretter in sixth (16:11.40), senior Spencer Mehltretter in eighth (16:23.20), junior Landen Whiteley in 10th (16:39.90) and junior Stone Gildner in 12th (16:44.70).
Wilcox won the girls race in 18:34.40, nearly 39 seconds ahead of St. Petersburg sophomore Isla Trunk (19:13.10).
The Osceola girls scored 35 points to beat St. Petersburg (53), East Lake (87) and Dunedin (144).
Osceola grabbed the next three spots behind Trunk. Senior Lina Logar was third (19:25.90), freshman Luna Mehltretter was fourth (19:43.90) and junior Ashlynn Clements was fifth (19:46.90). Freshman Kennedy Hummer (11th, 20:39.10) and junior Lindsey Geiger (12th, 20:43.90) rounded out the scoring.
St. Petersburg had four runners in the top 14. After Trunk came senior Caitlin Williams in ninth (20:08.30), junior Ellah Durliat in 10th (20:15.70) and sophomore Lucy Hammond in 14th (20:57.00).