Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
There was no question about the most transcendent moment of the Rays’ 5–0 win over the Red Sox in Game 1 of the ALDS. It was Tampa Bay left fielder Randy Arozarena in a dazzling reprisal of his role as playoff hero—pulling off a straight steal of home in the seventh inning, the kind of thrilling play that is made for October, done with the precision and attention to detail that typically characterize the Rays.