Tacoma’s Rhylan Thomas enjoys stellar spring; Rainiers fall in home opener
Thomas: “Growing up, that was one thing that I couldn’t get over, was striking out in games. When I do strike out, I carry it personally.”
Rhylan Thomas remembers the overwhelming relief watching his first big-league hit fall to the turf. The high, slicing drive snuck inside the left-field line and skirted away from Texas’ Wyatt Langford, good for a stand-up double at Globe Life Field last May 2. The 25-year-old outfielder soaked it in.
“I didn’t even know what to do,” Thomas said. “I looked up at my family up in the stands and I saw them going crazy, my friends going crazy. “That’s what I dreamed of as a kid.
” Thomas had just flown back to Tacoma and unpacked his belongings in the Cheney Stadium clubhouse when he got the life-changing call. He’d be making his debut with the Mariners in Arlington, Texas, an eventual 13-1 win over the Rangers that featured a pair of Cal Raleigh home runs. Thomas called his parents, and, when the first major-league hit finally came days later, he was sure to give the baseball to Dad.
“It was emotional for me to finally call my dad and say, ‘You’ve got to get on a flight because I might be playing tomorrow. ’ That was really cool,” Thomas recalled. “It was a moment I’ll never forget.
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