PEORIA, Ariz. -- For the first time in 26 years, Triple-A Tacoma will have a new voice on the radio airwaves, and as Rylee Pay embarks on this new journey as the incoming lead play-by-play commentator for the Rainiers, she¡¯s connecting with as many people as possible.
Pay spent three days at the Mariners¡¯ Spring Training facility in Arizona last week to, more than anything, meet those within the organization -- front-office personnel she¡¯ll be corresponding with, media who will become colleagues and players she¡¯ll be covering.
¡°And then just also getting some storylines too,¡± Pay told MLB.com, ¡°and kind of understanding who they are, what makes them tick, and what's kind of the personality demographic as well. You kind of get to know that when you're around a group like this.¡±
Pay joined Tacoma in January after spending the past two seasons with the Red Sox¡¯s Double-A affiliate, the Portland (Maine) Sea Dogs -- a job that she secured right out of college, after graduating with a degree in journalism and media studies, including a specialty in sports media, from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas.
It was there where her path became far more distinct.
Initially, Pay wanted to pursue sideline reporting and/or hosting, but she pivoted during an eye-opening marketing internship with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters, a collegiate summer team in the wood-bat Northwoods League. With the breadth to make the internship what she wanted it to be, the team invited her into the booth to shadow its broadcasters.
Then, when she returned to UNLV, she shadowed the sports information director for baseball and was off and running for the next two years. Going into senior year, Pay received an opportunity with the Cape Cod Baseball League, one of the premier collegiate summer programs, where many players are scouted ahead of the MLB Draft.
That group was welcoming -- and above all, trusting -- and one afternoon, they asked Pay if she¡¯d take the third inning of a game.
¡°To be honest, it kind of terrified me at first,¡± Pay said, ¡°just to kind of be in that situation of being alongside some really talented broadcasters out there. ... And so I did, with no prep that day or anything. It was just kind of trial by fire, I think, more than anything. And the challenge really hooked me.¡±
The huge leap for Pay, though, was in Portland, where she worked alongside lead play-by-play commentator Emma Tiedemann, forming just the second all-female booth in professional baseball history, according to the club. Pay actually hadn¡¯t graduated from UNLV yet when she was offered the job, but she worked out a plan with the school to remotely finish her curriculum.
In Tacoma, Pay, 24, is taking over for longtime Rainiers radio voice Mike Curto, who retired in November following a stint that began with the organization in 1999. In total, Curto spent 31 years in Minor League broadcasting -- a stretch spanning Pay¡¯s entire life and more. He was the longest-tenured radio broadcaster in Tacoma¡¯s franchise history, and after his announcement, the Rainiers fielded over 250 applications.
¡°Mike was here and was such an established voice in this community for so long, and that's usually how it is with broadcasting,¡± Pay said, noting that Curto has offered insights and advice. ¡°So it's very rare that you get lucky enough to see a job open up in the offseason.¡±
Though Pay is new to the organization, the Las Vegas native grew up a fan of the Pacific Coast League and the Aviators, who are the Triple-A affiliate of the A¡¯s.
¡°Being on the East Coast the last couple years, I loved it, but the West Coast is home for me,¡± Pay said.
Pay has already departed the desert and is back in Tacoma getting settled. The turnaround to Opening Day is right around the corner, with the Rainiers beginning their season at Cheney Stadium on March 28 vs. Round Rock.
And with it, their new broadcaster will be making a big debut.
¡°I just love baseball, like from a very young age,¡± Pay said, ¡°I think I just felt the magic of it more than anything.¡±