COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Wade Boggs collected all of his 3,010 hits while playing for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays and spent his 18-year Hall of Fame career regularly sitting atop the American League batting race with an average closer to .400 than .300.
So he’s got a unique vantage point and understanding of two of the most intriguing storylines in Major League Baseball this season — the packed AL East, which could be the first division in history in which every team finishes with a winning record, and Miami Marlins’ first baseman Luis Arraez’s flirtation with hitting’s most magical number.
We spent a few minutes with Boggs at an autograph signing during Hall of Fame weekend, where he talked about the AL East race and Arraez as well as the Rays’ bid to build a new stadium in the Tampa area. And of course we had to touch on the most important topic of all: His favorite TV cameo. The answer might surprise you!
Thanks to Boggs for taking the time and to Hall of Fame Signings for helping to facilitate the conversation.
On the AL East, where every team is over .500:
“When you look at that division that everybody’s above .500 and you’re in last place, I think that speaks volumes. It’s the toughest division in baseball. The thing about the Rays, they got off to such a hot start and Baltimore kept with them at the halfway point. It’s going to be a dogfight the rest of the way. And the only thing is if you’re in fourth place, you’ve got to leapfrog three guys and that’s going to be the difficult part. But my goodness, there’s so much talent in the American League East. It’s unbelievable.”
On the fourth- and fifth-place Red Sox and Yankees:
“When you look at Boston and New York, if they were in any other division, they’d be leading it. They just need a couple ingredients to get over the hump. But you’re floundering in fourth place and everybody hates you. Your record speaks for itself. And the Red Sox, they’re putting things together. They need a couple ingredients, but other than that, I think that hopefully, down the stretch, they can pull something off.”
Today In 1999: Baseball legend Wade Boggs becomes the first player to collect his 3,000th hit with a HR! (Tropicana Field) #Rays #MLB #History pic.twitter.com/g8l0i1oiXx
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) August 7, 2023
On being based in Tampa and the Rays’ search for a replacement for Tropicana Field:
“This year they’ve been drawing like gangbusters (the Rays’ average attendance through 56 home games this year is 18,256, up from 13,928 last year). It’s been really good. They’re working on a new site, but whether it comes across the bay, it’s yet to be determined. But it’s great for the bay area and we love our Rays and we don’t want to lose them.”
On Luis Arraez:
“My goodness, you’re hitting .380, you’re getting on base, scoring runs. That’s his job, you know? He’s not striking out with a guy on third and less than two outs. He can make contact. It’s kind of refreshing. No one’ll ever hit .400, that’s not going to happen. But he’s up there.”
Happy Birthday to Wade Boggs, who turns 61 today! Got a great #TTM return from him a few years back, kindly signing custom cards I made featuring his hilarious guest appearances on The Simpsons, Cheers, and Always Sunny. pic.twitter.com/aYo7BCs2HX
— Baseball Card Breakdown (@breakdowncards) June 15, 2019
On his favorite acting role — “The Simpsons,” “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia” or “Cheers”:
“Well, I’m partial to “Swamp Shark.” I was in “Swamp Shark” with Robert Davi, D.B. Sweeney and Kristy Swanson. I played Deputy Swanson. (Boggs’ lead credit on his IMDB page is indeed for “Swamp Shark,” which aired on SyFy in 2011). It’s hard to beat “Cheers.” It (had) the top-rated episode of all-time (with the 1993 finale). And “Always Sunny,” they did a great job too.”
