Old news first:
Longo’s Legacy Weekend includes two Rays games. A specially stamped ROMLB baseball will be used in game play on Saturday & Sunday, July 11–12. Details first from our previous posts:
From the Rays: “Longo’s Legacy Weekend Game Balls: Do your best to get your hands on a game ball this weekend, as each will be impressed with a special Longo’s Legacy Weekend insignia.”
From MLB news: “Anyone attending those games will have a chance to snag a special piece of history, too, as specially branded Longo’s Legacy Weekend baseballs will be used throughout the weekend.“
And the ball:
The game ball has been unveiled, and it’s a pretty special mark. We were tipped off to a “leaked” image from a Rays broadcast (and shared from various sources and helpful friends in the ballhawk community). The same pic surfaced in the Tampa Bay Times.
The image is taken from one of Longoria’s career-defining moments:
2011, Game 162 vs. NY Yankees at Tropicana Field. The Rays were tied with the Red Sox for the AL Wild Card spot heading into that night’s games. TB goes down 7-0 late in the game against the Yanks, and in Baltimore, the Red Sox look like they’re about to win in the 9th. It looks like the season is over in Tampa Bay. But the impossible happens.
Evan Longoria hit a three-run HR in the eighth to give Tampa life. Later, the Orioles (last place with nothing to play for) completed a walk-off win over the Red Sox to give the Rays hope. All of that to set up Longo’s legendary at-bat in extra innings. With the game tied 7–7 in the 12th, Longoria hits a walk-off homer, securing a postseason berth for the Rays. That’s nearly Hollywood script-level suspense.
That iconic image of Longoria raising his arms while rounding first base is now memorialized on the official MLB game ball! The commemorative logo stamp is much better than I predicted in our 2026 Live Tracker post from months back. This design certainly beats some of the recent cookie-cutter name & number retirement game balls and logos in recent years. Check out some of Longo’s best career highlights here.
We’ll update with better pictures once we get our hands on a few game balls. It’s believed these will not be sold through Rawlings retail outlets or dealers. Perhaps the team shop will have some for sale, unused; however, that’s a gamble. Unless you can snag a gamer, it’s likely collectors will need to purchase game-used or game-prepped direct from the Rays Authentics Store (Center Field on the Field Level near the main Rays Team Store).
A great Rays fan shared with me (in reference to the commemorative logo and the game that inspired it): Evan Longoria means considerably more to a fan base that had endured 10 years of finishing in last place and harboring false hopes before his arrival. As a Pirates fan, I can truly relate brother!
I also just realized that the Longo’s Legacy Weekend visual shared by the team long ago actually foreshadowed this new official game ball logo. Look closely at the sunglasses. I had not really paid attention to the image reflected in his shades until now:
