Seattle Mariners at Tampa Bay Rays

For all his incredible clutch hits and all the weight he carried as the face of a franchise, the funny thing about Evan Longoria is he doesn’t really love the spotlight. Not in the way it’s shining directly on him this weekend, anyway. Longoria had been thinking about this moment every night for six months, trying to imagine what it would be like to walk out of the Rays’ home dugout and see so many fans wearing his jersey, donning giveaway hats with his No. 3 on them and remembering his accomplishments. He still wasn’t ready for the wave of emotions that accompanied the real thing as “Longo’s Legacy Weekend” began with a celebration of his iconic career with Tampa Bay before the Rays’ 6-1 win over the Mariners on Saturday afternoon at Tropicana Field. “I tried to do some visualization. It didn't quite work,” Longoria said, laughing. “I did about as much mental preparation as I could, and it still didn't compare.” A year after signing a ceremonial one-day contract to retire with Tampa Bay, Longoria was inducted into the Rays Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony on Saturday. On Sunday, he’ll have his No. 3 officially retired. As cool, calm and collected as Longoria always seemed in the batter’s box, this kind of recognition and speech-making isn’t where the 40-year-old feels most comfortable. “I would much rather try to play a baseball game right now than do that again,” he said afterward, laughing. But these are fitting honors for the greatest player in Rays history. Not just for what he did on the field during his 10 seasons with the team, but for the impact he had on the franchise and the way his legacy lives on within the organization. Thank you, Evan. Thank you, Tampa Bay. pic.twitter.com/9IedzUjzWm