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Tampa Bay Rays
2024 Tampa Bay Rays season
Established in 1998
File:ALE-TB-Logo.png Team logo Cap insignia
Major league affiliations
American League (1998–present) East Division (1998–present)
Current uniform
File:ALE-Uniform-TB.PNG
Retired numbers	12, 42
Colors
Navy Blue, Columbia Blue, White, Gold
Name
Tampa Bay Rays (2008–present) Tampa Bay Devil Rays (1998-2007)
Ballpark
Tropicana Field (1998–present)
Major league titles
World Series titles (0)	None
AL Pennants (0)	None
Division titles (1)	2008
Wild card berths (0)	none
Front office
Principal owner(s)	Stuart Sternberg
General manager	Andrew Friedman
Manager	Joe Maddon

The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball franchise based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of, and as of 2008, current champion of, the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since their inception in 1998, the Rays have played in Tropicana Field. They are one of four active teams never to have played in a World Series, the others being the Texas Rangers, the Washington Nationals, and the Seattle Mariners. Since their inaugural season, Tampa Bay has finished out of last place only twice: once in 2004, when they finished fourth in their division (the Toronto Blue Jays being last that season), and again in 2008, when they won 97 games and entered the playoffs for the first time in team history.

Up to the 2007 season, the franchise was called the "Tampa Bay Devil Rays", an allusion to the fierce-looking (but completely harmless) manta ray. Common abbreviations for the Devil Rays marque were "D-Rays" or "Rays".

In November of that year, however, majority owner Stuart Sternberg decided to make drastic changes and renamed his team the "Tampa Bay Rays", which he described as "A beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida."

With the name change, the teams' primary colors were also changed from black, green, and blue to navy blue, Columbia blue, and gold.

Professional baseball in Tampa Bay

See also: Baseball in Tampa Bay

Civic leader and St. Petersburg Times publisher, Jack Lake, first suggested St. Petersburg pursue a Major League baseball team. The notable influences Lake held in the sport are what led to the serious discussions that changed St. Petersburg from a spring training location to a major league city. He spoke to anyone who would listen about his desire to see the city of St. Petersburg have a Major league baseball team. His colorful direction dominated the mindset in both sports and business circles dating back to 1966. He was said to have the foresight and prominence to make it happen.

Local leaders made many unsuccessful attempts to acquire a major league baseball team in the 1980s and 1990s. The Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, and Seattle Mariners all considered moving to either Tampa or St. Petersburg before deciding to remain in their current locations. The Florida Suncoast Dome (now named Tropicana Field) was built in St. Petersburg in 1990 with the purpose of luring a major league team. When MLB announced that it would add two expansion teams for the 1993 season, it was widely assumed that one of the teams would be placed in St. Petersburg. However, the teams were awarded to Denver (Colorado Rockies) and Miami (Florida Marlins) instead.

In 1992, San Francisco Giants owner Bob Lurie agreed in principle to sell his team to a Tampa Bay butt pirate group of investors led by micheal jackson, who would then move the team to St. Petersburg. However, at the 11th hour, MLB owners raped the players under pressure of loosing their MLB titles San Francisco. Officials and the Giants were sold to a group that kept them in San Francisco.

Finally, on March 9, 1995, new expansion franchises were awarded to Naimoli's Tampa Bay group and a group from Phoenix (the Arizona Diamondbacks). The new franchises were scheduled to begin play in 1998.

The Tampa Bay area finally had a team, but the stadium in St. Petersburg was already in need of fashion upgrade. In 1993, the stadium was renamed the Thunderdome and became the home of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team and the Tampa Bay Storm Arena Football League team. After the birth of the Rays, the naming rights were sold to Tropicana Products and $70 million was spent on renovations.

Franchise history

Before 1998

The Devil Rays began to fuck their organization shortly after the franchise was awarded the gayest baseball team awadr in 1995 by naming former Atlanta Braves assistant general manager Clay Aiken the senior vice president of baseball operations and general manager. The franchise's first minor league games took place in the ass of their pitcher 1996 season. On November 7, 1997, Larry Rothschild was named the team's first manager. The team acquired 35 players in the Expansion Draft on November 18, 1997. Tony Saunders from the Florida Marlins was the first player drafted by the Devil Rays. The team also drafted future star Bobby Abreu and promptly traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies for Kevin Stocker, who had very little success for the Rays. Before the 1998 season, star players Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff, and Wilson Alvarez were acquired.

1998–2003: Early years as the Devil Rays

The Devil Rays played their first game on March 31, 1998 against the Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field before a crowd of 45,369. Wilson Alvarez threw the first pitch and Wade Boggs hit the first home run in team history that day, and although the Devil Rays lost their opening game 11–6, they actually got off to a good start. They were 11–8 after 19 games before losing six straight, falling below .500, never to recover to that level again in their inaugural season. They would go on to lose 99 games that year. José Canseco was signed prior to the 1999 season. One of the most memorable moments in franchise history occurred on August 7, 1999 when Wade Boggs tallied his 3000th career hit on a home run, the only player to ever do so. Boggs retired after the season and is the only Ray with his number retired (ironically, he spent more time with the Red Sox and Yankees yet neither team has hung up his jersey). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

The Devil Rays acquired sluggers Vinny Castilla and Greg Vaughn on December 13, 1999 and dubbed McGriff, Canseco, Castilla, and Vaughn the "Hit Show." As it turned out, however, all of these players were past their prime, and the team continued to struggle in 2000. Prior to the 2001 season, the Rays changed their team colors and uniforms and also acquired highly-touted outfielder Ben Grieve from Oakland but neither move improved their luck in the standings. On April 18, Larry Rothschild was fired as manager and was replaced by Hal McRae, and McGriff was dealt to the Chicago Cubs, interestingly taking nearly a month to decide whether to enforce his no-trade clause or to leave his hometown of Tampa for Chicago, which was in a heated divisional race. By the 2002 season, the Devil Rays decided to build with younger players and drastically reduced the team payroll. Randy Winn, Aubrey Huff, Toby Hall, and Carl Crawford began to emerge as key players. However, the 2002 season would prove to be the worst in franchise history to date. McRae was moved to a front office position after the season.

Before the 2003 season, the team traded Randy Winn to the Seattle Mariners for the right to negotiate with manager Lou Piniella, a Tampa native, who managed winning teams at every stop in his managerial career, including the New York Yankees, the Cincinnati Reds (whom he led to a World Championship in 1990), and the Mariners (whom he led to American League Runner-Up finishes in 1995, 2000, and 2001). Piniella was attracted to the Tampa Bay job because of the proximity to his family and the chance to build a losing franchise into a winner as he had done in Seattle. Piniella's first team still finished last, but was seven games better than the 2002 team. A highlight of the 2003 season was the emergence of Rocco Baldelli, a native of Rhode Island, as one of the top rookies in the major leagues. A bizarre incident occurred in 2003 when, in an interleague game against the Chicago Cubs, Sammy Sosa's bat broke on a pitch from Devil Rays pitcher Geremi González, revealing it was corked.

2004: Rise of Crawford, Baldelli and Kazmir

Expectations were low for the team entering the 2004 season, but the team surprised most baseball experts by finishing with the best record in team history, 70–91. It was the first time the Devil Rays won 70 games in a season and they also finished in 4th place in the American League East, out of last place for the first time ever. Their record was 10–28 coming into May when they made their run in which they won 30 of 40 games, including a team-record 12 games in a row. The Rays had a 42–41 record after 83 games, within 5 games of the American League wild card. However, the team soon returned to its losing ways, leading to a final record of 21 games below .500. The season was highlighted by the continued development of Aubrey Huff, Carl Crawford, and Rocco Baldelli into some of the top young hitters in baseball. The front office produced a major accomplishment on July 30, 2004 when pitcher Victor Zambrano was traded to the New York Mets for pitcher Scott Kazmir, who has since become the team's best pitcher and one of the top young pitchers in all of baseball.

2005: End of Piniella era

After a 28-61 record at the All-Star Break in 2005, the Devil Rays turned it around in the second half of the season, going 39-34, for a final record of 67-95. Rocco Baldelli missed the entire 2005 season due to injury, but Carl Crawford and newcomers Jorge Cantu and Jonny Gomes led a productive offense that finished third in the American League in team batting average. To counterbalance that, however, the pitching staff had the second worst ERA in the American League. During their strong second half, the Devil Rays played spoilers in September, with timely victories over contenders such as the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Despite the promising finish, Lou Piniella became frustrated with what he perceived as an insufficient commitment to winning by the ownership group, and he reached a settlement with the team to release him from the last year of his contract.

2005–2006 offseason: Front office and managerial changes

Shortly after the season ended, Stuart Sternberg, who bought into the ownership group in 2004, took over from Vince Naimoli as managing general partner, thus taking over executive control of the team. He immediately fired Chuck LaMar, who had been the team's general manager since the team's first season, and most of the front office. Matthew Silverman was named the team president, and Andrew Friedman took the role of Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. Gerry Hunsicker, former General Manager of the Houston Astros, was named the Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations, with the responsibility of advising the younger Friedman. Sternberg decided not to have a de jure General Manager, calling the position "outdated." Friedman and Hunsicker share the role of team representative at MLB functions.

The team focused its rebuilding efforts around young stars such as outfielders Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli, and Jonny Gomes, infielder Jorge Cantu (who hit 28 home runs and drove in 117 runs in 2005) and pitcher Scott Kazmir (who finished in the top 5 in the American League in strikeouts). Baldelli missed the entire 2005 season with injuries, but returned to the team in 2006. Also figuring into the Rays' future plans were Delmon Young and B.J. Upton, considered two of the best prospects in all of baseball.

In December 2005, Joe Maddon, the former bench coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, was named the new manager of the Devil Rays, the fourth in team history, replacing Lou Piniella in that role.

During the offseason, the new front office invested $10 million in improvements to Tropicana Field. Among the major changes were new club seating on the first base side, a 35-foot, 10,000 gallon touch tank holding 30 live cownose rays behind the right-center field fence, and the addition of the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame, relocated from Citrus County. Other changes to increase attendance and fan interest included free parking at all home games, allowing tailgating in the parking lot before games, allowing fans to bring their own food and drinks into Tropicana Field, lower ticket prices and concession prices, and an increased number of promotions and give-aways.

2006: Rebuilding year

With the change of ownership and the strong finish to the 2005 season, Tampa Bay fans were optimistic about the 2006 season. On April 10, 2006, the official attendance at Tropicana Field for the Rays' home opener was 40,199, the highest turnout since the 1998 Inaugural Season home opener.

An unfortunate event occurred on April 26, when Delmon Young, playing for the Triple-A Durham Bulls, was ejected from the first inning of a game for arguing a third strike, and tossed his bat at the umpire, striking him in the chest protector. The umpire was not injured, but Young was suspended indefinitely the next day by the International League. Young ultimately was suspended for 50 games without pay and performed 50 hours of community service.

At the All-Star Break, Tampa Bay was only 11 games under the .500 mark (39–50). However, the front office became convinced that the Devil Rays would not contend in 2006 and they traded several veteran players who were not in their future plans for younger players who were expected to contribute more in future seasons. The trades included:

• On June 20, outfielder Joey Gathright and infielder Fernando Cortez were traded to the Kansas City Royals for pitcher J.P. Howell.
• On June 27, pitcher Mark Hendrickson and catcher Toby Hall were traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for pitcher Jae Seo, 22-year old catcher Dioner Navarro, and minor league outfielder Justin Ruggiano.
• On July 12, infielder and long-time Ray Aubrey Huff was traded to the Houston Astros for young shortstop Ben Zobrist and minor league pitcher Mitch Talbot.
• On July 31, shortstop Julio Lugo was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league prospects Joel Guzman and Sergio Pedroza.
• On August 24, utility player Russell Branyan was traded to the San Diego Padres for minor league pitchers Evan Meek and Dale Thayer.

The Devil Rays struggled in the second half, going 22–51 to finish the season with a 61–101 record, the worst in the major leagues. The team's poor play in the second half was attributed to the trades of veterans for prospects, injuries to key players such as Scott Kazmir and Ty Wigginton, and slumps by several players (notably Jonny Gomes and Jorge Cantu). Another factor was that the Devil Rays played extremely poorly on the road, winning only 3 out of 39 road games after July 1. This matched the 1943 Philadelphia Athletics for the least number of road wins after the All Star break in baseball history. Overall, the Rays went 20-61 on the road, the third lowest number of wins on the road by any team since 1961. On top of that, they led the major leagues in the number of leads blown with 94 and set a new American League record by losing 60 games that they had led. The Rays led in 121 games, but won only 61.

The Devil Rays were involved in two unusual triple plays in 2006; one they hit into, the other they executed themselves. On June 11 against Kansas City, they hit into the third triple play in major league history, and first since 1937, that involved an appeal. Russell Branyan flew out to center, Rocco Baldelli tried to advance to second base and was thrown out, and then Aubrey Huff was called out when the umpires ruled that he left third base early when he tagged up. Then, on September 2 against Seattle, the Rays executed a 2–6–2 triple play where the ball never touched the bat, something that had never been done before. Seattle's Raúl Ibáñez struck out, Dioner Navarro caught Adrián Beltré trying to steal second base, and then Ben Zobrist threw Jose Lopez out at home plate.

On the positive side, the Devil Rays finished with a winning record at home (41–40) for the first time ever. Also, home attendance increased by 20% over 2005 to 1,372,193. This was the Rays' highest attendance since 2000.

2006–2007 offseason: Rays sign Iwamura

During the 2006 offseason, Erik Walker, a 23-year-old pitching prospect for the Hudson Valley Renegades who had recently gone 3–1 with a 0.48 ERA during his first professional season, died in a canoeing accident on the New River in Grayson County, Virginia.

On November 15, 2006, the Devil Rays won the rights to negotiate a contract with Japanese infielder Akinori Iwamura. He was signed to a three-year, $7.7-million contract on December 15, and ultimately made the 2007 Opening Day active roster. The Devil Rays paid $4.55 million USD (around ¥538 million) to the Tokyo Yakult Swallows for the rights to Iwamura.

In an effort to court the Orlando, Florida, market, the Devil Rays played a series at The Ballpark (now called Champion Stadium) at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in the 2007 season. The series selected was the May 15-17 series versus the Texas Rangers. The Devil Rays swept the Rangers in that series.

2007: Peña and young stars lead the way

Main article: 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays season

The Devil Rays had the youngest starting line-up since the 1983 Minnesota Twins. One of those young players, Elijah Dukes, was put on the temporary inactive list when a St. Petersburg Times report alleged he threatened to kill his estranged wife and their children. Dukes didn't play again for the remainder of the season. On the other hand, the Rays had bright spots on the year as they were led by pitchers James Shields and Scott Kazmir, who were both exceptional. Shields put in 215 innings and would have been close to 20 wins had he not endured multiple bullpen collapses. Meanwhile, Kazmir struck out a career high 239 batters with an ERA of 3.48.

Offensively, the Devil Rays may have had their best year. Tampa Bay was third in the AL in home runs (187) notably behind the New York Yankees. They also posted 131 stolen bases which also placed them third in the AL. They were led by Comeback Player of the Year, Carlos Peña who batted .282 and set Rays records in home runs (46), RBIs (121), walks (103), on-base percentage (.411), and slugging percentage (.627). He ranked fourth in the Majors in home runs and sixth in RBIs. They were also led by BJ Upton, All-Star Carl Crawford, and rookies Delmon Young and Akinori Iwamura.

With their improved offense the Devil Rays were one of baseball's best six-inning teams, but the absence of a steady bullpen wrecked many quality starts. The bullpen problem was at its worst during the first half, when the likes of Casey Fossum, Jae Seo and Edwin Jackson were just as likely to pitch two innings as five, which taxed an already mediocre bullpen by forcing them to log extra innings.

The Devil Rays compiled the worst record in baseball (66–96), finishing last in the American League East for the ninth time in their 10-season existence. The Rays signed manager Joe Maddon to a contract extension, with the club picking up the 2008 and 2009 club options.

• Original logo of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 1998-2000
  Original logo of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 1998-2000
• Tampa Bay Devil Rays logo, 2001-2007
  Tampa Bay Devil Rays logo, 2001-2007
• Tampa Bay Rays secondary, 2008-present
  Tampa Bay Rays secondary, 2008-present

2007–2008 offseason: New name, uniforms & outlook

Main article: 2008 Tampa Bay Rays season

New uniforms for the 2008 season were officially revealed on November 8, 2007.The unveiling coincided with a name change for the team, as the team was now officially called the "Tampa Bay Rays." The new team colors are "navy, Columbia blue and a touch of gold". The new team logo features a bright yellow sunburst that represents the Sunshine State of Florida. The logo and the cap isignia use the font Georgia in bold. In the original press release, principal owner Stuart Sternberg said "We are now the 'Rays' - a beacon that radiates throughout Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida." "We Are One Team," the pitch for the 2008 season was announced February 22, 2008. The phrase, as president Matt Silverman says, refers to the idea of an improved and talented team allied with the fan base across the Tampa Bay area.

Roster moves

The Rays front office had promised to increase the team's payroll for the coming season. Whereas it was approximately $24 million in 2007, lowest in the majors , the "mid-30s" had been rumored as a minimum for 2008. But, after free-agency signings and contract extensions to players already on the roster, it was raised to $43 million

While the Rays began the 2008 season with much the same lineup that ended the 2007 season, several key trades and free agent signings improved the team. The Rays traded Delmon Young, Brendan Harris, and Jason Pridie to the Twins for Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Eduardo Morlan. The Rays signed a one-year deal with veteran relief pitcher Troy Percival who has taken over closer duties, moving Al Reyes into a role as a set-up man. The Rays signed Cliff Floyd, who has split time at designated hitter and right field. Top third-base prospect Evan Longoria was expected to be the starter at the hot corner while the Rays also signed the #1 pick in the draft last year, pitcher David Price, who was widely recognized as one of the top players in college baseball.

New ballpark?

Main article: Rays Ballpark

The biggest surprise of the 2007 offseason came on November 9 when the Rays announced that they were in negotiations to potentially build a new $450-million, 34,000 seat, open-air baseball stadium at the site of Progress Energy Park/Al Lang Field, their current spring training facility on the St. Petersburg waterfront, to open by 2012. Financial plans for the new stadium were revealed on May 15, 2008. The deal would see owner Stu Sternberg providing $150 million to the project, and much of the remaining money would be covered by the sale of redevelopment rights to Tropicana Field and the state of Florida's 30-year, $60-million sales tax rebate for new venues. The city of St. Petersburg would also pay roughly $75 million that team officials say the city has already committed to the franchise. Any final plans would have to be approved by voters in St. Petersburg since all new construction on public property must be put to a referendum, regardless of whether or not the project uses taxpayer money. On June 25, 2008 the Rays officially dropped their proposal for the waterfront stadium. Instead, they opted to hire a focus group to help garner support for the Rays and seek other possible locations for the stadium.

2008 season: New Hopes, New Look, Winners at last

Main article: 2008 Tampa Bay Rays season

The Rays and Red Sox brawl at Fenway Park on June 5, 2008.

The Rays finished Spring Training with 18 wins, a club record. They also finished with the highest winning percentage in the Grapefruit League, and tied for the highest of all teams in spring training with the Oakland Athletics. They began the regular season with a win on the road in Baltimore. This snapped a 7-game losing streak in road openers for the franchise, which was the longest active streak in the league until then.

As they did during the 2007 season, the Rays played a regular season home series at Champion Stadium in Walt Disney World for the April 22-24 series against the Toronto Blue Jays. As in the Orlando series in the previous season, the Rays won all three games.

The Rays suffered through many injuries during April and had hovered just above .500 until the end of the month. However, the sweep of the Blue Jays was followed by the team's first-ever sweep of the Boston Red Sox in Tropicana Field. In the series finale, James Shields pitched a complete game 2-hit, no walk shutout and was named AL Player of the Week. Evan Longoria was originally cut from the 25-man roster in Spring Training, but was called up early into the season. He signed a contract worth $15 million over six years. Longoria would quickly become a fan favorite by being one of the team's more productive players throughout the season.

The Rays continued their winning ways into May. At the end of play on Memorial Day, the traditional 1/3 point of the baseball season, the Rays were in first place in the AL East and owned the best record in all of major league baseball at 31-20. The Rays became the first team in modern Major League history (since 1900) to hold the best record in the league through Memorial Day, having the worst record in the league the year before. This was, by far, the best start in franchise history and marked the first time ever that the team was 11 games over .500. The Rays finished the month 12 games over .500, had the best record in the American League, and led the AL East by one game.

In June, incidents over the course of two consecutive games led to a benches clearing brawl against the Boston Red Sox increasing hostility between the two teams, which was also fueled by a tight division race between them. Carlos Peña was out for three weeks with a fractured left index finger. The Rays went 16-10 for the month of June, sporting an overall record of 50-32, were 18 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history, and led the division by 1½ games.

Within the first week of July the Rays stretched their division lead to 5½ games, but then lost seven consecutive games heading into the All-Star Break. Trailing the Red Sox for the division lead by ½ game, they still led the Wild Card. Scott Kazmir and Dioner Navarro were selected to play in the All-Star Game. Evan Longoria was voted into the roster by the fans in the Final Vote. This(3) was the most players the Rays had ever sent to the All-Star Game. In another franchise first, Longoria was a participant in the Home Run Derby, but was eliminated in the first round hitting only three home runs, the least of all competitors.

After going 13-12 during the month of July, the Rays, with a 63-44 record, held a division lead of 3 games over the Boston Red Sox. The Rays did not make any deals prior to the trade deadline. Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, Andrew Friedman, would stress that despite no trade activity, the Rays organization had confidence in the players that had given them the best record in the division at the conclusion of July.

In August, the Rays surpassed their previous franchise record of 70 wins in one season. On August 29, they secured their first winning season, notching their 82nd victory against the Baltimore Orioles, in a 14-3 win. Despite injuries to several key players in early August including Evan Longoria, Carl Crawford, and Troy Percival, the Rays finished August on a 5-game winning streak, compiling a record of 21–7 for the month, the best single month in franchise history. With an 84-51 overall record, the best in the league, their lead in the division grew to 5½ games going into the final month of the season.

On September 20, the Rays, with the best home record in Major League Baseball, clinched their first-ever postseason berth in franchise history. The following week, on September 26, though the Rays lost that day, they were finally able to clinch their first ever division title due to the Boston Red Sox loss to the New York Yankees.

On October 6, the Rays defeated the Chicago White Sox in Game 4 of the ALDS to capture their first playoff series victory and advance to the ALCS.

The Rays' turnaround has been mostly credited to much improved defense and pitching, especially from the bullpen. While the 2007 bullpen and defense were historically bad, stats for 2008 were among the best in the majors, and the best in franchise history.

Season records

Main article: Tampa Bay Rays seasons

The records of the Rays' last five seasons in Major League Baseball are listed below:

Division Champions

MLB season	Team season	League	Division	Regular season					Post-season	Awards
				Finish[a]	Wins[b]	Losses	Win%	GB[c]
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
2004	2004	AL	East	4th	70	91	.435	30½
2005	2005	AL	East	5th	67	95	.414	28
2006	2006	AL	East	5th	61	101	.377	36
2007	2007	AL	East	5th	66	96	.407	30		Carlos Peña (CPOY)[f]
Tampa Bay Rays
2008	2008	AL	East	1st	97	65	.599	—	Won ALDS[d] vs. Chicago White Sox, 3-1 Plays ALCS[e] vs. Boston Red Sox

These statistics are current as of October 6, 2008. Bold denotes a playoff season, pennant or championship; italics denote an active season.

Rivals

Tampa Bay's primary rivals are the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees (whose rivalry with one-another is far greater than any rivalry either team has with the Rays). The rivalries from these teams stem from the number of fans in the Tampa Bay area who are transplants from these two locations and continue to root for these teams, as well as the Yankees making Tampa their Spring Training home. Prior to the 2008 season, Red Sox and Yankee games often drew considerably higher attendance figures to games at Tropicana Field versus the average for other games, the result being a fan bias for these teams on the road. The Florida Marlins are also a rival due to their in-state proximity, though this rivalry is only really visited upon in the Interleague period each season.

Quick facts

Founded: 1998 (American League expansion)

Home ballpark: Tropicana Field

Uniform colors: Navy Blue, Columbia Blue, Gold

Logo design: The word "Rays" in a baseball diamond

Mascot: A six-foot, six-inch (198 cm) seadog named "Raymond"

Playoff appearances: 1

Owner: Stuart Sternberg, et al.

President: Matthew Silverman

Executive VP of Baseball Operations (de facto General Manager): Andrew Friedman

Manager: Joe Maddon

Local Television: FSN Florida, WXPX iON

Public Address Announcer: David Pygman

Spring Training Facility: Progress Energy Park, St. Petersburg, FL (until 2009)

Retired numbers

The Tampa Bay Rays have retired two numbers. These numbers are displayed to the left of the center field scoreboard and "K Counter" on a small wall.

Wade Boggs 3B: 1998-99 Retired 2001

Jackie Robinson Retired by MLB Retired 1997

Jackie Robinson's number 42 was retired by all of Major League Baseball.

Current roster

Tampa Bay Rays roster
Active roster				Inactive roster		Coaches/Other
Pitchers Starting rotation 14 Tyler Alexander 34 Aaron Civale 24 Zach Eflin 52 Zack Littell Bullpen 47 Jason Adam 64 Shawn Armstrong 45 Taj Bradley 60 Garrett Cleavinger 29 Pete Fairbanks 49 Kevin Kelly 88 Phil Maton 61 Erasmo Ramírez 39 Manuel Rodríguez		Catchers 28 Alex Jackson 30 Ben Rortvedt Infielders  7 José Caballero  2 Yandy Díaz 17 Isaac Paredes 10 Amed Rosario 54 Austin Shenton Outfielders 56 Randy Arozarena 21 Jonny DeLuca 15 Josh Lowe  1 Richie Palacios 43 Harold Ramírez 22 José Siri		Pitchers 11 Shane Baz 58 Yoniel Curet 48 Chris Devenski 74 Jacob Lopez 44 Ryan Pepiot 38 Colin Poche 63 Edwin Uceta 40 Jacob Waguespack Catchers 50 René Pinto Infielders 62 Jonathan Aranda 37 Osleivis Basabe 13 Junior Caminero  8 Brandon Lowe 25 Curtis Mead		Manager 16 Kevin Cash Coaches 99 Misha Dworken (staff assistant) 97 Jonathan Erlichman (analytics coach) 46 Tomas Francisco (field coordinator)  9 Michael Johns (first base) 52 Rick Knapp (assistant pitching) 27 Rodney Linares (bench) 33 Jorge Moncada (bullpen) 51 Chad Mottola (hitting) 35 Brady North (assistant hitting) 23 Kyle Snyder (pitching)  4 Brady Williams (third base) 60-day injured list 18 Shane McClanahan 57 Drew Rasmussen 59 Jeffrey Springs  6 Taylor Walls Restricted list  5 Wander Franco 26 active, 14 inactive 7-, 10-, or 15-day injured list # Personal leave Roster and coaches updated May 11, 2024 Transactions • Depth chart → All MLB rosters

Environmental record

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to become more and more environmentally aware. For the 2008 season, the team changed their colors to a Columbia blue; although this is minor, the team continues to go "green." "Teaming Up for the Environment," is the Rays' new program which initiates more environmental actions. The Rays have purchased 646 green tags which are credits for renewable energy supplied by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. These tags are presumed to offset some of the carbon dioxide emissions produced from traveling fans and all energy used at their home ball park, Tropicana Field. The "green" home games consist of five home games and the home-opener against the Seattle Mariners played on April 8, 2008. In addition, the Rays plan to get an LEED Certification for their proposed new stadium.

Franchise leaders

See Tampa Bay Rays team records

Radio, television and movies

As of 2008, the Rays' flagship radio station is WHNZ 1250 AM. The announcers are Dave Wills and Andy Freed. Rich Herrera is the pregame and postgame host, and the radio producer. This team replaced Paul Olden and Charlie Slowes as of the 2005 season. Slowes went to the Washington Nationals, while Olden pursued a photography career. From 1998 through 2004, Rays games were on WFLA 970 AM.

The main television broadcaster is FSN Florida, although several games also air on ION Television affiliate broadcast stations throughout the state of Florida, with WXPX in Tampa as the flagship. Previously, Rays games aired on local affiliates such as WMOR-TV and WTSP in Tampa, WRDQ in Orlando, and WFXU in Tallahassee. Dewayne Staats (play-by-play) and Joe Magrane (color commentary) have been the TV team since the Rays' inception. A more recent addition to the telecasts is Todd Kalas, the son of Philadelphia legend Harry Kalas, who serves as the pregame and postgame host as well as a field reporter during games. Todd also hosts magazine shows and specials on FSN Florida throughout the season. Dick Crippen and Whit Watson have both filled in for Todd Kalas in the past.

FSN produces all local game telecasts, regardless of which outlet they are shown on. In 2007, about 25% of the schedule was aired in HD. At least 58 games will be aired locally in HD in 2008. In total, 144 games will be aired on local broadcasts in 2008: 66 on ION, 82 on FSN Florida, and two exclusively on Sun Sports during the interleague series with the Florida Marlins.

Although Rays games can be seen throughout Florida where available without blackout, FSN Florida games cannot be seen on the Bright House Networks affiliate for the Orlando, Florida, area, since that cable system does not carry FSN Florida. Only games carried by WOPX are shown on Bright House in Orlando, but they do not carry the channel in HD. Comcast in Orlando does have both WOPX and FSN Florida, but carries neither channel in HD. DirecTV and Dish Network also carry FSN Florida, and DirecTV occasionally carries FSN Florida's HD games.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were featured in the movie, The Rookie, a 2002 drama, directed by John Lee Hancock. It is based on the true story of Jim Morris, who had a brief but famous Major League Baseball career.

Morris (at the age of 35) had the ability to repeatedly throw the baseball at 98 miles per hour (158 km/h), a feat that less than ten professional baseball players at the time could accomplish. This ability affords him the opportunity to play professional baseball and he signs on with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization. He is initially assigned to the minor league Class AA Orlando Rays (now the Montgomery Biscuits) but quickly moved up to the AAA Durham Bulls, later to be called up to the "bigs" during the September Roster expansions.

James Morris spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, as a relief pitcher. He pitched 15 innings in 21 games, with an earned run average of 4.80.

Rays fandom

The Happy Heckler

"The Happy Heckler" is a fan by the name of Robert Szasz, a Clearwater real estate developer. He has season tickets near home plate, and is known for his rather boisterous heckling. He is so loud that he is clearly audible on both TV and radio broadcasts. He is also known as an "ethical" heckler, heckling opposing players only based on their play and never throwing personal insults. Despite this, he has drawn the ire of some opposing players. He is especially known for heckling Bret Boone so viciously once that Boone confronted him after a strikeout.

More Cowbell

The Rays Cowbell was originally a promotional idea thought up by principal owner Stuart Sternberg, who got the idea from the Saturday Night Live sketch. Since then, it has become a standard feature of home games, something akin to the Sacramento Kings of the NBA and the bells their fans ring during games. Road teams have often considered the cowbell a nuisance. Once a year the Rays hold an annual "cowbell night" and give away free cowbells. Cowbells are available for purchase throughout the year as well. The most famous proponent of the cowbell is Cary Strukel, who is known as "The Cowbell Kid." Strukel can be seen at most home games sitting in right field and wearing some kind of costume, typically topped with a neon colored wig or Viking horns. The cowbells are rung most prominently when the opposing batter has two strikes, when the opposing fans try to chant, and when the Rays make a good play.

Professional wrestlers

Rays games are frequently visited by professional wrestlers, as there are a large number of wrestlers living in the Tampa Bay Area. The Nasty Boys (Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags), Brutus Beefcake, and Hulk Hogan all appear on a semi-regular basis at Rays games. John Cena appears on occasion.

The Rays held a "Legends of Wrestling Night" on May 18, 2007, featuring several wrestling matches after the game, an 8-4 loss to the Florida Marlins. Outfielder and wrestling fan Jonny Gomes ran interference for the Nasty Boys during the main event.

A second "Wrestling Night" was held on April 19, 2008, after a 5–0 win over the Chicago White Sox. Gomes participated again, this time making a post-match save for the Nasty Boys.

9=8

9=8 (spoken as "nine equals eight") is a mantra used by the the Rays during the 2008 season. The phrase was originally created by manager Joe Maddon while riding his bike after the 2007 season. The meaning of the phrase is that if nine players play nine innings of hard baseball everyday, that team will become one of the eight teams who qualify for the playoffs. Prior to 2008 season, the Rays had never had a winning season in franchise history, much less a playoff appearance.

After a slow start to the 2008 season, the Rays began to pick up speed and found themselves among the best teams in the league that year. Maddon had blue t-shirts made with the phrase on the back in yellow, representing the team's new colors, and gave them to the players during the season. His idea to put the slogan on the back of the shirt, rather than the front, was that a person who was walking behind someone wearing the shirt would see it.

Rays right fielder Gabe Gross, who was acquired by the team through a trade early into the 2008 campaign, said it was as much 9=8 as it was more along the lines of 13=8, because the Rays had many players contributing to the team's success that season.

The Rays played well enough throughout the year, that they surpassed their previous team record for wins in a single season by more than 20 wins, and ultimately clinched a spot in the 2008 MLB Playoffs for their first postseason appearance in franchise history. As the phrase 9=8 had come to fruition, Maddon stated that the phrase also meant that theory and reality had come together.

Minor league affiliations

• AAA: Durham Bulls, International League
• AA: Montgomery Biscuits, Southern League
• Advanced A: Charlotte County, Florida State League
• A: Bowling Green, Midwest League
• Short A: Hudson Valley Renegades, New York-Penn League
• Rookie: Princeton Devil Rays, Appalachian League

Notable former players

• Danys Baez - P
• Wade Boggs - 3B
• José Canseco - OF/DH
• Vinny Castilla - 3B
• Steve Cox - 1B
• Elijah Dukes - OF
• Dwight Gooden - P
• Ben Grieve - OF
• Juan Guzmán - P
• Aubrey Huff - 3B/OF
• Joe Kennedy - P
• Cory Lidle - P
• Fred McGriff - 1B
• Jim Morris - P
• Hideo Nomo - P
• Rey Ordonez - SS
• Victor Zambrano - P
• Greg Vaughn - OF
• Gerald Williams - OF
• Delmon Young - OF
• Jason Tyner - OF

Footnotes

• ^a The Finish column lists regular season results and excludes postseason play.
• ^b The Wins and Losses columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Regular and postseason records are combined only at the bottom of the list.
• ^c The GB column lists "Games Back" from the team that finished in first place that season. It is determined by finding the difference in wins plus the difference in losses divided by two.
• ^d ALDS stands for American League Division Series.
• ^e ALCS stands for American League Championship Series.
• ^f CPOY stands for Comeback Player of the Year

See also

• All-Time roster
• Statistical records and milestone achievements

External links

• Tampa Bay Rays official website
• Tampa Bay Rays: St. Petersburg Times
• Tampa Bay Rays: Tampa Tribune
• Sports E-Cyclopedia
• An Open Letter to Stuart Sternberg from BaseLine Report: Why There is Hope for the Rays
• DRaysBay A blog covering the Tampa Bay Rays
• Tampa Bay Rays Playoff News and Information WFTS-TV