On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays learned the starting times for the first two games of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n
Game 1 will be Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and Game 2 will be Monday (Oct. 5) at 8 p.m. Tampa Bay will play the winner of the Wild Card series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. The Yankees won Game 1 of the best-of-three on Tuesday, 9-0.<\/p>\n
There is plenty excitement in the area after the Rays\u2019 just wrapped one of their most successful seasons, capturing their first division crown since 2021.<\/p>\n
At a press conference to unfurl a team banner on the Tampa Municipal Office Building, City Council Chair Alan Clendenin said the hype is about more than the playoffs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a sports town. We love our Tampa Bay Lightning. We love our Buccaneers \u2026 but right now, it\u2019s all about the Tampa Bay Rays, and I am so looking forward to them continuing in this series,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I look forward to them when they\u2019re playing baseball in the city of Tampa, and we recreate an entire area of the city into a stadium district.\u201d<\/p>\n
The playoff run comes just weeks after the public contribution to the team\u2019s $2.36 billion stadium deal received final approval from the city and Hillsborough County. The ballpark is expected to open in 2029 on what is now Hillsborough College\u2019s Dale Mabry campus.<\/p>\n
For Tampa resident and baseball fan Scott Bushway, the stadium plans are adding to the anticipation of the playoffs beginning.<\/p>\n
\u201cI work at Hillsborough College, so I\u2019m thrilled that they\u2019re going to be on the Dale Mabry campus, and the renderings look amazing,\u201d Bushway said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m just glad that they\u2019re going to be here in Tampa.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Tuesday\u2019s banner drop, city firefighter and fourth-generation Tampa resident Macho Barrios said the Rays\u2019 move across the bridge means he will make it to more games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve made it out to a few this year. Not so much because it\u2019s a little farther than I\u2019d like for it to be,\u201d he said. \u201cBut now, when it comes to the city, I think it\u2019s a great opportunity to go to a lot more games.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also agreed with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor on how far the Rays will go. \u201cWorld Series, let\u2019s do it!\u201d Barrios said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI must also say that, as a former police chief, I could never ever endorse stealing, except in this particular situation,\u201d Castor joked. \u201cThe Rays are more than welcome to steal as many bases as they need to, to get to that World Series.\u201d<\/p>\n
By winning their fifth AL East Division with the best record in the league (98-64), the Rays earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs.<\/p>\n