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Events at Tropicana Field
TAMPA BAY DEVIL RAYS: Tropicana Field
For several years, Tampa Bay had the stadium to host a major league baseball team. They just had a little trouble finding the team to play in it.
First, it looked like the Chicago White Sox might relocate to Tampa. That plan was scuttled when New Comiskey Park was approved. Then the San Francisco Giants appeared to be headed to Tampa. Again, the deal fell apart.
Finally, in the spring of 1995, the city earned an expansion team from major league baseball and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays were born. There has been little good news since then.
Tropicana Field tries about as hard as a domed stadium can try. The eight-story-high rotunda entrance was designed from the exact blueprints used to create the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Ebbets Field. Unfortunately, Tropicana Field was built just before the retro ballpark craze took hold, and by trying to be modern, it shows its age. Major league baseball has suggested that the Devil Rays need to be out of the building and into a new facility by 2010. Tropicana Field seating is not the typical generic domed seating plan. 100 high-backed, upholstered “Scout Seats” are the plum tickets, as they give occupants individual monitors showing views from all stadium cameras plus individual concessions and statistics. The stadium also features a restaurant in dead center field hidden behind special one-way glass-patrons of the restaurant can see out, but restaurant activities don’t interfere with the batter’s line of sight.
Devil Rays ticket holders can at least be consoled with the knowledge that they’re watching something unique in major league baseball. Tropicana Field is the only major league park to feature artificial turf and all-dirt base paths. The stadium utilizes the revolutionary FieldTurf system combined with Tennessee clay.
Despite Tropicana Field’s unmistakable heritage as a multipurpose facility, the Devil Rays ownership group has tried to make the park more fan-friendly, as they’ve moved the bullpens into the field of play (down the left and right field lines) and added a family entertainment area that includes a rock climbing wall.
Capacity: 45,000
Year Built: First Devil Rays game 1998
2004 attendance: 16,139 per game average; 1,275,011 total
Dimensions: 315 to left, 370 to left-center, 404 to center, 370 to right-center, 322 to right
Hotels Nearby: Lee Manor Inn, The Pier Hotel, Hilton St. Petersburg, Holiday Inn St. Petersburg
Thrill of victory: April 1, 1998: Unfortunately, the Devil Rays haven’t been a contender since playing their first major league season in 1998. But they did post their first-ever franchise victory on April 1 (fittingly, April Fools’ Day), defeating the Detroit Tigers 11-8. It’s a first for the Devil Rays, a first for Tropicana Field, and a first for pitcher Rolando Arrojo, who gets the victory in his first major league game.
Agony of defeat: March 31, 1998: The Devil Rays had set a precedent for what was to come one day earlier in their inaugural game as a franchise. There was plenty of pomp and circumstance, including ceremonial first pitches by Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Monte Irvin, and Al Lopez. There was a capacity crowd of 45,369. And there was also a Devil Rays defeat, as Detroit posts an 11-6 victory in the season opener for both teams.
Devil Rays Ticket Tips: Devil Rays tickets are plentiful, so you can afford to be choosy about where you sit. Tickets in the Kane’s Club or Platinum Club are the closest to field level. If you get tired of your seats and it’s late in the game, check out the Checkers Bullpen Café. You’ll get a full-menu sit-down restaurant that’s located directly behind the Devil Rays bullpen, so you can watch that Tampa relief pitcher warm up while chowing down on some dinner.