On Saturday night during the Rays second to last home game of the regular season, a tribute video appeared on the jumbotron in right field. Twenty seconds in, most of the 22,169 fans in attendance rose to their feet and began to clap in appreciation.
The highlight reel, lasting just under a minute, ended with the words “Thank you, KK.” It became clear that this video was the all-but-official end to an era of Rays baseball that started 10 seasons ago.
It might be unusual for a team to show a tribute video for a player who is still on the team and has not announced a retirement.