ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Yankees and Rays will open their regular seasons against each other today at Tropicana Field, the same place where their regular seasons came to an end a year ago.
And no matter what happens in today’s game, or how important Opening Day is to some people, it won’t approach the drama of last season’s finale, which ended when Evan Longoria completed a comeback from 7-0 down with a game-winning solo homer in the 12th inning off Scott Proctor.
“Over the four years I’ve been here, we’ve done a lot of different things and they all go in the memory bank,” Longoria said. “That’s definitely up there.”
EVAN LONGORIA
Last September’s hero.
But the stunning close of that game, which capped a stunning run by the Rays — and a monumental collapse by the Red Sox — won’t have much of an impact on this season.
“There’s a little bit of a carryover and momentum going into this year because of what we did last year,” Longoria said. “But the most important thing is that we have to turn the page.”
Despite the exciting conclusion to 2011, Longoria wouldn’t mind avoiding a similar close call this time around.
“It’s really tough to climb back against these guys,” Longoria said. “I don’t want to do that again.”
Longoria was one of a handful of Rays to show up for an optional workout at Tropicana Field yesterday.
“This division has been tough since I’ve been in the league and it never gets easier,” said Longoria. “The Yankees and Red Sox are gonna be the Yankees and the Red Sox. We feel very strongly about our team. It’s a good feeling to know when you play them, you’re not just looked at as a doormat; you’re not overlooked.”
And the Rays seem to have as good a shot as anyone of getting back to the playoffs.
“We like to feel as a group that we put ourselves in a situation to be included in the same category as them as far as a viable opponent in the AL East,” Longoria said.
They have been more often than not, but Longoria doesn’t want them resting on their laurels.
“All of those memories were great — up until the point until we didn’t get past the first round again,” Longoria said. “The time for reminiscing is over.”
dan.martin@nypost.com
Evan Longoria, Longoria, Red Sox, Tropicana Field, Tropicana Field, ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Rays, the Rays
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