The Tampa Bay Rays lost the 2026 World Series to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5 on Wednesday night, but for second baseman Richie Palacios, his identity is in more than the scoreboard.
“I hope they see that every time I step on the field, I play with the joy of the Lord. You know, I’m always happy,” the Rays second baseman told CBN Sports. “Everyone’s always asking me, ‘Why are you so happy when you play? Is it because you love baseball?’ Yeah, I do love baseball, but it’s because of the joy the Lord is within me. So that’s way more important than anything else, man.”
Palacios previously identified himself as “just a man of Christ,” calling baseball a “vehicle that I can use to affect people in the right way, to show them that there is a God. He’s greater than anything.”
His faith has a firm foundation built on years growing up in church and reading the Bible with his father.
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“Then when I got to move away from home, I got to build my own relationship with God, being able to not rely on my parents, but to rely on me sitting down reading the Word and trying to act on the Word, not just reading it like it’s a book, but acting on it,” he said.
“It shapes me into who I am today,” Palacios emphasized. “You know, I still struggle with things. We all struggle with things, but to know that my faith is in God, He always has my back, and to be able to affect people positively and share the word — like, He says in the Word, share the Word to other people — because you never know what people are going through.”
In Game 5 of the World Series, the Rays had only four hits and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Their lone run came in the ninth, when Chandler Simpson drove in a run, according to ESPN.
Tampa Bay won the American League with 98 victories and took Game 4 in 12 innings to keep its World Series hopes alive. In the end, Milwaukee’s pitching and timely hitting were too much to overcome, securing the championship 4-1.
The loss ended the Rays’ postseason run one win short of forcing a Game 6, but Palacios’ words show that his season is measured by more than the final score. The disappointment of Wednesday night sits alongside a deeper sense of purpose, one Palacios says no scoreboard can take away — his faith in Jesus.
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