After 561 Days Away, the Rays Are Finally Home and Tampa Bay Felt Every Second of It

The Tampa Bay Rays are back. For the first time in 561 days, cowbells rang out at Tropicana Field as Bryan Baker struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong to seal a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Monday night in front of a sellout crowd of 25,114.

That's not just a win. That's a homecoming.

A Stadium Rebuilt From Hurricane Damage

Hurricane Milton tore through downtown St. Petersburg on October 9, 2024, and it absolutely wrecked the Trop. High winds ripped sections of the roof clean off, and rain poured into the stadium bowl for months. The water damage was catastrophic: mold crept in, electrical systems failed, sound systems fried, broadcast equipment went down. The whole thing was a disaster.

It took nearly $60 million and a full season away to fix it. While the Rays played 2025 across the bay at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa (the Yankees' spring training home), crews installed a brand new roof. The final panel went in place on November 21. Along with the roof, the Rays upgraded luxury suites, installed a new video board, and brought in fresh artificial turf. Players got new clubhouse carpet and lockers.

When they walked back in, it was clear something was different. Something was better.

A City Shows Up

The Rays don't typically pack the house, but Monday night was special. This was the 20th consecutive sellout for a home opener, excluding the 2020 season when COVID kept fans away entirely. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and St. Petersburg Mayor Kenneth Welch both threw out first pitches. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in the stands.

Chandler Simpson, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, captured what the night meant: "It was great. Shoutout to the city of St. Pete and the fans for showing up for us after everything they've been through."

Manager Kevin Cash felt it too. "It was an important day for Rays baseball and unique for what we've gone through," he said. "Very well done."

New Ownership, New Era

This was also the first home win under new ownership. A group led by Florida-based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski bought the Rays for $1.7 billion last year. Zalupski and top executives Ken Babby and Bill Cosgrove are pursuing a new ballpark that would be built in Tampa, in the shadow of the Yankees' spring training complex and across from Raymond James Stadium.

After 561 days away, the Rays finally had something to celebrate at home. And Tampa Bay showed up to celebrate with them.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.