ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Randy Arozarena emerged as a breakout star for the Tampa Bay Rays. The only thing better than having one Arozarena in Tampa Bay is having two Arozarenas.
Whether it’s making diving catches or diving saves, athletes run in the Arozarena family.
The younger brother of Randy, Raiko, has signed with the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Raiko played the past three seasons in Mexico, most recently for the Cafetaleros de Chiapas.
“I am very happy that we are going to be close to each other,” Randy said. “I know he has worked hard and sacrificed a lot to get in the position that he is in. I’m looking forward to seeing him play at a different level and in a different place.”
Raiko gave baseball a try back in Cuba but decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a goalkeeper.
“It’s funny when we were growing up, my brother was actually better than me at (soccer), and I was better than him at baseball,” Raiko told ABC Action News sports anchor Kyle Burger. “I used to be a baseball player, it was not until I was a teenager I started playing soccer.”
The first few days in the United States have been difficult for Raiko because of the language barrier. But it makes it easier with his brother close by. They grew up in Cuba and moved to Florida from Mexico.
They even share the same number: 56.
“I selected it because of my brother,” Raiko said. “I think it’s a nice experience to have brothers in two different professional sports playing with the same number. That’s why I grabbed it.”
They may soon share the same hairstyle. Before the season opener, Randy dyed his hair bright blonde proclaiming, “new flow, new season.”
“I think it is a very good style,” Raiko said. “Right now, I’m going to keep my style until the beginning of the season then I will probably do the same one as his.”
