History of Tampa Bay Devil Rays

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were the first expansion team to enter the American League since the Mariners and Blue Jays were added in 1977. In fact, their entry into the American League in 1998 lead to the Milwaukee Brewers changing leagues to make room for the new team.

They have played their first Major League game on March 31, 1998 and the Tropicana Field became the first ballpark of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Tampa Bay Devils played their first match against the Detroit Tigers, which they lost. Though the Tampa Bay Devil Rays avoided 100 losses with only one victory in their first season, we can say that their first season was not a total loss as on April 19 their record was 10-6, which made them the first expansion team ever to be four games over .500 at any point in their first season.

The next season, the Tampa Devil Rays went for experience and expert presence on their expansion list, gunning for names like Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff, Paul Sorrento, Wilson Alvarez and Roberto Hernandez. Unfortunately this strategy was an absolute disappointment. But the most exciting event in franchise history came in 1999 when Wade Boggs homered for his 3,000th hit on August 7, 1999 in Tropicana Field. In fact, the only player on the Tampa Devil Ray’s hall of fame is Wade Boggs and the only number that has been retired by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays is the #12 worn by the same Wade Boggs.

But, in 2000, after observing their partners, Arizona Diamond Backs win the NL West, the Devil Rays took steps to make their team more competitive. With this in mind, they acquired big sluggers like, Greg Vaughn, and Vinny Castillia from the National League. This move has given the Tampa Bay Devil Rays some hopes regarding their team’s chances. But, again the Devil Rays ended the 2000 season at the last place, with a 69-92 record.  

The Devil Ray’s misery continued without any signs of remittance, into next couple of years, as they became the first team in more then 20 years to lose 100 games in consecutive seasons, posting a horrible 55-106 record. In fact, almost nothing Devil Rays has done till date has worked. However, there’s still some hope left for them, though they have a long way to go from their current position as one of the worst teams to becoming the best team in the nation. And a lot depends on how triumphant they are in cultivating an aggressive pitching staff. 

Stadium History of Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Tropicana Field has been the home field of Tampa Bay Devil Rays, since the team was formed in 1998. The Tropicana Field has an area of 1.1 million square feet including some unique design features and fan facilities found nowhere else in the Major Leagues.  

It has a sound system that deliver replays of the important moments in baseball, a play-byplay rerun of the Devil Rays games, and music accompanied by coordinated theatrical illumination that casts various shapes and configurations along the way. The roof of the dome is lit up with orange lights after each win that the Devil Rays score at home. These lights are representative of the ballpark's title sponsor, Tropicana Dole Beverages. In the end, we can say they have to cover several miles to go to become one of the best team across the nation.