‘It’s awesome’: Wade Boggs inducted into first Rays Hall of Fame class

ST. PETERSBURG — Wade Boggs signed with the Devil Rays in 1998 for a specific reason.

He was within 200 hits of 3,000 and wanted the chance to reach the milestone playing for the new team in his adopted home town.

He did that in his second year, on Aug. 7, 1999, to be exact, then retired as a player and served briefly in several other roles — coaching, front office and broadcasting — before being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, in 2005.

Though his No. 12 was retired by the Rays at the start of the 2000 season, he said he never imagined the honor he received on Sunday, inducted into the Rays Hall of Fame, which was launched this year as part of their 25th anniversary celebration.

Wade Boggs delivers the ceremonial first pitch following his induction into the Rays Hall of Fame. [ IVY CEBALLO | Times ]

“It’s awesome,’’ Boggs said after the pregame ceremony, sporting his new Rays Hall blazer. “Naturally, the National Baseball Hall of Fame is the pinnacle of greatness where you put your flag in and everything along those lines.

“I would never ever think that in a million years I would have been in the Tampa Bay Rays Hall of Fame because of my body of work. I wasn’t here long enough. Like I said in my speech, I wore a lot of hats — I was assistant GM, I was a hitting coach and a player for two years. People don’t get inducted in the Hall of Fames when you play for a team for two years.

“I understand (after) ‘99 that they retired my No. 12, which was a tremendous honor,” Boggs continued. “But that’s what makes this mean that much more to me is because of the lack of body of work that I had here. I didn’t win batting titles. I didn’t win Gold Gloves. I didn’t make All-Star teams or anything along those lines.”

But Boggs brought experience, credibility and the ability to mentor younger players. And he also delivered one of the top moments in Rays history, not just reaching the 3,000-hit milestone at Tropicana Field, but as the first player to do so with a home run.

This story will be updated.

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