Rays honor recovering Don Zimmer, use his No. 66 jersey during series opener with Red Sox
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Don Zimmer is a significant face in baseball history, and the Tampa Bay Rays found a meaningful way to let everyone know he remains in their thoughts as he recovers from heart surgery.
On Friday, third-base coach Tom Foley, who usually wears No. 6, wore Zimmer's No. 66 during Tampa Bay's series opener against the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. Zimmer, 83, underwent surgery April 16 in St. Petersburg, Florida, to repair a leaky heart value. He's continuing to rehab from the procedure and has required help from a ventilator to breathe.
No, the #Rays don't have a new 3B coach. Tom Foley is wearing Zim's No. 66 as Zimmer recovers from surgery in April: pic.twitter.com/0uqi666gpi
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 24, 2014
Before Friday, the Rays had honored Zimmer in other ways in recent weeks. They hung his No. 66 jersey in the dugout during games, and a large white sign was made near the press box that reads "ZIM" in black block letters.
Zimmer, a former player and manager, has been involved in professional baseball since 1949. He has served as a Rays senior advisor since January 2004.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
