Rays Harness the Longball to Raise Themselves to Victory
For better or for worse, the Trop (Tropicana Field) in St. Petersburg, Florida, easily stands out, most especially due to its polarizing dome that stays closed all year round. It is interesting how both Florida ballparks are large white structures from the outside, but as soon as you step out of the tunnel, the roof lets you know exactly where you are. Built in 1990, eight years before the Rays even came into existence, the Trop doesn’t have the personality of the older ballparks like Wrigley or Fenway nor the intriguing features of some of the newer ballparks. It’s the only non-retractable domed stadium in the MLB and has the smallest seating capacity. So I went with modest expectations.
From the outside, it has an unusual slanted roof which is somehow supposed to both protect it from hurricanes while reducing excess cooling costs inside. The design caused them to build catwalks near the roof in the interior which has the unintended consequence of sometimes being in play during high fly balls and pop ups during a game. It also makes for strange ground rules as balls hitting the catwalks over the field of play can either be caught for an out or drop for a hit.
When I arrived, I had to admit that it did resemble a large warehouse with concrete interiors. It is definitely not pretty, but I was able to arrive in time to watch the Tigers’ batting practice, so my eyes quickly shifted to the field, with its turf grass and dirt infield.
It was pretty exciting to see the Tigers hitters take some swings–most batting practice wraps up hours before the game starts, but they did not finish until exactly one hour before game time—certainly a nice surprise to take that in.
Thanks to Adam Boyd at iHeartMedia, we were able to get into the Rays Club for the entirety of the game. I would liken it to a nice airport lounge, with unlimited food and drink, and pretty decent views of the game as well. I certainly took advantage of the opportunity, as the atmosphere was festive with a wide variety of delicious food on offer.
After the game began, I headed down to our seats, which were excellent. One perk of going to a lower-budget team’s stadium on a weekday against a non-rival team is that the stadium is on the emptier side, and with it, lower prices. So we definitely got a great bang for our buck, as we were right behind the plate!
I was looking forward to seeing Shane McClanahan pitch for the Rays as he is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball and is building off a solid rookie season. A lefty thrower like me, he has four pitches that he masters including a fastball, curveball, slider and change-up. He mixes them in very well and retired the Tigers quickly in the first inning right after we sat down. I was happy to be 7 rows behind home plate to get a better view of his pitching. The Tigers also have a young pitcher, rookie Beau Briske, so I was interested in scouting him too.
Almost immediately, the Rays started to do what they do best–chip away at the pitcher, stringing together a few singles and plays to get them early runs–and in the second inning, Kevin Kiermaier established the trend of the day which would be the home run, with many more to come later in the game. I was hoping I would see some homers because, after a Rays bomb, they sound a loud horn that echoes across the stadium, a pretty fun trick.
I was really enjoying watching the Rays’ pitcher, Shane McClanahan, settle in. From my seats, we could see the movement on several of his pitches, and he seems to be tossing them all with ease. It appears the team has an unreal knack for finding hidden gems, and grooming them into under-the-radar and most importantly, stellar pitchers, and McClanahan is no exception.
As he continued to mow down hitter after hitter, I headed to center field to check out the 10,000 gallon tank that houses 11 manta rays that you can touch and watch swim around. Only seven players have homered into the tank including Miguel Cabrera. Jose Lobaton, the old Rays’ catcher, hit a walkoff into the tank, which must have been quite a night for him. But a few years ago, they extended netting over the tank to protect the rays and the people distracted by them. It is hard to imagine watching a baseball splash into the ray pool–probably a startling spectacle for the rays and people alike.
After enjoying that for a while, I browsed the Rays Republic Team Store and then headed back to our seats to take in the remainder of our game. A few previously available attractions, like the ability to make your own Topps baseball card, have been discontinued since COVID-19, so it seems I hit all the stops. And, given the seats’ great location, I wanted to maximize their use!
In the 5th, after the Rays continued to hold their 3-0 lead over the Tigers, McClanahan let one pitch hover over the heart of the plate, and Jeimer Candelario made him pay, as he hit one that almost hit the moon (or the ceiling, in this case). However, the Rays, in their classic fashion, quickly responded in the bottom of the inning and homered a second time, and that, coupled with a few hits and a sac fly, allowed them to chip away a bit further, extending their lead to 5 after 5 innings.
Arozerena came up big in the 8th, belting one out to deep center, and his bat flip demonstrated that he certainly knew it was gone off the bat. Another sac fly later in the inning allowed them to make it 8-1–and in the 9th, the Rays nearly struck out the side before ending it on a groundout.
The loud horn sounded once more as the Rays high-fived each other in excitement, and I grabbed a bit more food and drink from the Rays Club as I took in the stadium for a few last minutes before ducking out. They lit the ceiling up orange, and there was something charming about it all–players conversing with fans, ground crew working on the field for the next day, and locals and visitors chatting with each other before leaving. It was a nice vibe to end on.
The team (and stadium) feels like it is from an earlier time–both aesthetically and culturally. Sure, it isn’t pretty, but watching players from the team willing to sign autographs and take selfies with excited fans before and after the game for at least 10 minutes is something that doesn’t happen in the Bronx or LA. Here’s to hoping some of that fun charm sticks around–there’s nothing wrong with a stadium that is more low-key, especially when the team it houses is the same way, but in the best form possible. What other team is constantly in the playoffs with a just as consistent top 5 lowest payroll? Tampa is a throwback in a special way, indeed.
coryattheballpark 