For the first time since a hurricane changed the world of the Tampa Bay Rays more than 18 months ago, Tropicana Field\u2019s battered dome is back in business. A sellout crowd of about 25,000 will be on hand for Monday\u2019s home opener against the Chicago Cubs at 4:10 p.m.<\/p>\n
The irony can\u2019t be ignored. The resurrected Trop has been typically ridiculed as Major League Baseball\u2019s worst venue, yet players and fans can\u2019t wait to get back indoors after a season in the summer elements at their temporary digs of Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of time was spent talking about what was wrong with the Trop when we were there,\u201d Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said. \u201cAnd then we left, and a lot more is spent on what’s right with the Trop as we go back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meantime, Neander\u2019s new bosses, who purchased the team last fall at the end of Hurricane Milton\u2019s domino effect, are on the clock to build a new ballpark <\/a>next to Steinbrenner Field on Hillsborough College\u2019s Dale Mabry campus<\/a>.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Rays stadium talks create friction on Hillsborough County Commission<\/a><\/p>\n Tropicana Field, with its tilted fabric roof and maligned concentric catwalks, underwent major repairs after Hurricane Milton swept through downtown St. Petersburg on Oct. 9, 2024. The winds ripped off most of the dome, allowing rain to fall into the stadium bowl for months. Water caused mold and damage to electrical, sound and broadcast systems.<\/p>\n There was initial thought that the Rays would never play another game at the only ballpark they had called home since their 1998 debut. Instead, nearly $60 million was spent by the city to make it baseball-ready, as mandated by the lease.<\/p>\n \u201cI think guys are excited, and rightfully so,\u201d Rays manager Kevin Cash said. \u201cOur organization has worked incredibly hard and the city and the (Pinellas) county, to get it back up to speed. I briefly walked through there, couldn\u2019t be more impressed with the way it looks, and excited to see our fans. I think our guys are going to appreciate just having our fans in the building, cheering us on for our opening day.\u201d<\/p>\n The rays are swimming in the outfield again<\/p>\n The new roof was installed in August, and the final panel was put in place<\/a> Nov. 21. Luxury suites and the video board were upgraded. The stadium has new artificial turf, home-plate club seats, clubhouse carpet and lockers, and new flooring on the outfield deck.<\/p>\n And the real rays that swim in an outfield tank are back in a renovated Cownose Clubhouse. The seven fish spent the past several months being cared for at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa and TECO Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach.<\/p>\n “What a wonderful story about resilience,” Roger Germann, president and CEO of the Florida Aquarium said about the cownoses, who were in their stadium tank during the hurricane. <\/p>\n The Rays are hoping such resolve is found throughout their longtime home.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m just really excited to get back in the Trop,\u201d said reliever Griffin Jax, who joined the Rays in July. \u201cI always enjoy going there as a visitor. It\u2019ll be cool to see all the new renovations and upgrades they made along the way. We\u2019ve seen it a handful of times walking through and seeing pictures and stuff. It looks great. It\u2019ll be good to be back in our home.\u201d<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Where can you watch the Rays on TV? Local cable systems, channels finally announced<\/a><\/p>\n After playing last season through the Florida heat, humidity and occasional thunderstorm delays in Tampa, climate-controlled baseball appeals to Jax.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was difficult,\u201d Jax said about some of the games at Steinbrenner Field. \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody expects to play in a situation like that. It\u2019s just one of those things you have to make any adjustment you can and get ready to play because there is still baseball to be played that night. The situation isn\u2019t great. The environment wasn\u2019t awesome, but it\u2019s still baseball. You just have to roll with it. I was only there for two months. Shout out to all these guys who<\/p>\n Milton, of course, did more than create a year of expensive inconvenience.<\/p>\n In the storm\u2019s wake, delays quashed a proposal to build a long-sought $1.3 billion replacement stadium. Political bridges were burned, and the Rays\u2019 future was back in ballpark purgatory. Major League Baseball soon shepherded a sale from owner Stuart Sternberg<\/a> to a group led by Patrick Zalupki and new CEO Ken Babby<\/a>.<\/p>\n On their clock, time is short to leave the stadium many hate to love, with the lease running out in 2028.<\/p>\n Monday, though, is about bats, balls, bases and banners. It will be the team\u2019s 20th consecutive sold-out opener (not counting the 2020 COVID-19 season).<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a truly heroic effort,\u201d Babby said in February at Rays Fan Fest. \u201cIt was not long ago that we looked at this building and wondered, \u2018Could baseball ever be played here again?\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the required repairs paid for by the city, the Rays\u2019 new owners funded other upgrades, including the upgraded luxury seats and expanded video board.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: It’s opening day for the Rays. Hey, fans, you wanna have a catch-up?<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cIt looks really good,\u201d said Ken Johnson, executive vice president of sports at AECOM Hunt, which helped build the stadium in the late 1980s and led the recent roof repairs. \u201cFans that walk in the building, they\u2019re going to be surprised. This ownership team has really done some great things, too. They\u2019re really on top of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Rays looking for a better second week<\/p>\n The Rays had a rough start on the road to start season, but are 4-5 after winning the weekend series at Minnesota. Earlier in the week, fielding and relief pitching were sore points, but starting pitching and the bat of Yandy Diaz, hitting over .400, have been strong points.<\/p>\n Monday’s starting pitchers are Tampa Bay\u2019s Shane McClanahan (0-1) and Chicago\u2019s Jameson Taillon, a Lakeland native.<\/p>\n McClanahan, out of the University of South Florida, made his first big-league start in nearly 2\u00bd years on Tuesday at Milwaukee after recovering from back-to-back elbow and triceps surgeries. The Rays lost 6-2, but McClanahan was sharp over 4\u2154 innings, with two earned runs, four strikeouts and three walks.<\/p>\n Tropicana Field parking lots open at 1:10 p.m., with gates opening at 2:10. Click here<\/a> for city of St. Petersburg traffic and parking information as well as car-free transporation options. <\/p>\n