Rocco Baldelli walked the tunnel from the visitors' clubhouse to the dugout at Fenway Park on Monday afternoon, remarking the whole way how spruced up the otherwise dank hallway appeared. "They really cleaned it up," he said.
One might forgive Baldelli for being overly exuberant.
Baldelli, the one-time can't-miss center fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays and former reserve outfielder for the Red Sox, was back at Fenway one day after completing a long journey back to a major league roster, homering on his first swing in the process Sunday in Baltimore.
"I like playing," the Rhode Island native said when asked about making a comeback after several years of physical ailments. "I don't know what else I would do."
After batting .253 with seven home runs for Boston in 2009, Baldelli, 28, was given a role as a special instructor with the Rays during spring training while he rehabbed an injured shoulder.
He was signed to a minor league deal July 20 and played 23 games at two levels of the Tampa Bay system, batting .278 (25-for-90) with two homers and 14 RBIs.
The Rays selected Baldelli's contract Wednesday and plan on using him primarily off the bench down the stretch. While he was in the lineup to start Monday against Boston, Baldelli just wants to be part of something special, as he was with the American League champion Rays in 2008.
"If we're winning games I'm gonna be happy," he said. "I think I'm at the point in my career where I'm happy playing but winning is the only thing I'm really worried about."
Baldelli's first game back was a losing effort as Tampa Bay fell 8-7 to the Orioles. But he made it memorable with a two-run shot in his first at-bat in the majors since Oct. 2, 2009, while with the Red Sox.
"It was a pretty cool feeling," he said of the dramatic homer. "I don't put many expectations on myself. I went up there just blank-minded, went up there, put a good swing on the ball. I was pretty happy. It meant a lot to me. It gave me a good feeling."
Now back in the majors a lot of things are giving Baldelli a good feeling. Even a wet, poorly lit hallway. Then again, the tunnel does lead to the field, where he feels he truly belongs.
"There's nothing that's better than being a player," he said.
