Rays' Yandy Diaz, others nervous about ghosts in Milwaukee hotel

The 58-50 Tampa Bay Rays will head into Tuesday's two-game series opener at the Milwaukee Brewers holding an American League wild-card playoff berth, but some Tampa Bay players may have other things on their minds during their trip to the Midwest. 

As Matthew Neschis noted for the New York Post, the Rays are staying at the Pfister Hotel in downtown Milwaukee which was built in 1893 and is thought by some to be haunted by paranormal beings. 

Rays third baseman Yandy Diaz is supposedly among the Tampa Bay players specifically bothered by the thought of such spirits, so his teammates taped a cartoon ghost on the front of his locker that had the Spanish word "cuidado" -- meaning "watch out" -- on it before Sunday's contest at the Detroit Tigers.

"All I want is (to not) have any ghosts in my room," Diaz explained through a team interpreter. 

Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the club's media guide says that Rays first baseman and designated hitter Ji-Man Choi are "terrified of ghosts and believes to have had many encounters with them, including hugs and whispers." However, Choi claimed through an interpreter last week he would say "Hi" to any spirits he encounters in Milwaukee. 

"I’m not too concerned," Tampa Bay pitcher Ryan Yarbrough insisted. "I’m not saying I don’t believe in any of that. I just feel like if you don’t try to overly concern yourself with it, maybe bad things won’t happen. But no, I think it’s fine. I think certain guys are very intrigued and some guys want nothing to do with it. So I’m just trying to be even-keeled about it. But Yandy is the guy." 

The Rays only face the Brewers on Tuesday and Wednesday and, thus, won't have to worry about ghosts for too long during the midweek.