The New York Yankees arrive at Tropicana Field on Saturday, and the city of St. Petersburg would prefer you not spend the first three innings stuck in traffic waiting to watch them lose.
Game 1 of the American League Division Series is Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Game 2 is Monday at 8 p.m. Both are on TBS. If the series goes the distance, Game 5 comes back to the Trop on Oct. 10.
The Tampa Bay Rays finished 98-64, the best record in the American League, won the AL East by 4.5 games over New York, and took the season series 7-6. The Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card Series, winning 9-0 and 9-2.
Drew Rasmussen gets the ball in Game 1. On Sept. 22 in the Bronx, he struck out 11 and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning on the night the Rays clinched the division on the Yankees’ field.
The city released its playoff parking guide Thursday. Expect heavy traffic and budget extra time for every game.
On-site parking is 100% prepaid for every postseason game, and passes are sold in advance by the Rays. Fans without a pass should skip the streets around the ballpark and drive straight to off-site parking downtown.
Options within walking distance include the 540-space garage at 1301 Central Ave., directly across from Ferg’s. It opened last June with rates starting at $2.50 an hour or $21 for the day. It is the only finished piece of The Central, the mixed-use project planned for the old police headquarters site. The city’s full list of lots and garages is at stpete.org/Parking.
The free Baseball Shuttle runs for every playoff game, starting two hours before first pitch and continuing until an hour after the final out, about every five minutes. Buses and trolleys share the route, and the trolleys have wheelchair lifts.
The downtown stop is on Second Street South between Central Avenue and First Avenue South, under the pedestrian bridge. Drivers can park in the garage there by entering from First Avenue South between First and Second streets. The ballpark stop is on 16th Street just south of Third Avenue South. Routes are at loopertrolley.com.
The SunRunner, PSTA’s bus rapid transit line, runs from St. Pete Beach through west and central St. Pete to downtown every 15 minutes at peak times, and PSTA is adding buses for the playoffs. Service runs until midnight. The fare is $2.25. Eastbound riders get off at First Avenue South and 13th Street. Westbound service picks up at First Avenue North and 13th Street.
E-scooters sit in corrals across downtown and rent through the Spin and Lime apps. Lime also runs the city’s bike share. Details are at stpete.org/Scooters and stpete.org/BikeShare.
Uber and Lyft drop-off and pick-up zones are at Fourth Avenue South by Lot 7 and 17th Street South by Lot 3.
If you spot someone in pinstripes circling the block looking for a drive-up lot, let them circle.
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Ed. note: This story was drafted with assistance from AI. Editorial judgment, sourcing, and final review were performed by Peter Schorsch and the Florida Politics editorial team.