With its unappealing concrete exterior, massive, sloping dome and cavernous indoor atmosphere, Tropicana Field possesses little of the aesthetic beauty and charm associated with baseball’s most celebrated stadiums.
asserted
Field → possess → stadiums
But the Tampa Bay Rays love their quirky ballpark, especially after being forced out for a season because of destruction from Hurricane Milton.
asserted
Rays → love → Milton
A sellout crowd of more than 40,000 towel-waving, cowbell-ringing fans will welcome the Rays back for Game 3 of the World Series on Monday night after a pair of gut-wrenching, one-run losses in Milwaukee.
asserted
crowd → wave → Milwaukee
The Brewers lead 2-0 and are two wins away from the franchise’s first World Series title.
asserted
Brewers → lead → title
The Rays need to win four of five to secure their first championship in their 29th season.
asserted
Rays → need → season
When a powerful storm swept through downtown St. Petersburg on Oct. 9, 2024, shredding the roof and causing extensive damage to the Trop, there were concerns that the Rays would never play again at the only place they had called home since the franchise’s debut in 1998.
asserted
they → sweep → 1998
Nearly $60 million was spent to replace the roof and rebuild the stadium before the Rays returned 18 1/2 months later to start this season.
asserted
Rays → spend → season
They played their 2025 home games across the bay in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field — the spring training home of the New York Yankees.
asserted
They → play → Yankees
During the renovation, the Rays were sold to a group led by real-estate developer Patrick Zalupski.
asserted
Rays → sell → Zalupski
The new ownership team spearheaded an agreement to build a 31,000-seat ballpark in Tampa near the home of the NFL’s Buccaneers.
asserted
team → spearhead → Buccaneers
In August, the Rays received county approval on a financing plan for the $2.3 billion project that features what they’re calling their “forever home” within a mixed-use entertainment district.
asserted
they → receive → district
The new stadium is scheduled to open in 2029.
asserted
stadium → schedule → 2029
The Rays and their fans are hoping a World Series banner will hang in the stadium.
asserted
banner → hop → stadium
“We love playing at The Trop.
asserted
We → play → Trop
We played so well at The Trop all year,” second baseman Richie Palacios said Sunday.
asserted
Palacios → play → Trop
“It’s going to be exciting to go out there and put on a show for our fans and hopefully bring them a couple more wins.”
asserted
It → go → wins
The Rays and Brewers tied for the best home record in the regular season, going 55-26.
asserted
Rays → tie → season
Though Rays fans have often been criticized for not showing up — the team finished 28th in attendance at 1.4 million — they’ve rocked the Trop throughout the postseason and made sure to give the rival Yankees an earful in the AL Division Series when the crowd included plenty of New Yorkers.
asserted
crowd → criticize → Yorkers
Large crowds also gathered at the Trop for watch parties during Games 1 and 2 while the Rays and Brewers played at American Family Field in Milwaukee.
“These Milwaukee fans have been really loud.
asserted
fans → gather → Milwaukee
I know our fans are going to be really loud and excited to see us come back and kind of reset ourselves a little bit,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
asserted
Cash → know → ourselves
Tropicana Field has only hosted two World Series games in 2008 when the Rays split at home and then lost three in a row in Philadelphia.
asserted
Rays → host → Philadelphia
The 2020 World Series was played on a neutral field in San Diego due to the coronavirus pandemic.
asserted
Series → play → pandemic
The Rays lost that series to the Dodgers in six games.
asserted
Rays → lose → games
One of the Trop’s most distinctive features is its catwalk system, consisting of four circular steel rings suspended beneath the stadium’s non-retractable, cable-supported roof that stabilize the structure.
asserted
that → consist → structure
Sometimes the catwalks interfere with baseballs.
asserted
catwalks → interfere → baseballs
It happened in Game 2 of the AL Division Series when Yankees rookie Spencer Jones hit a towering flyball off a catwalk that was caught by Mesa, who ran over to center field from right field to make the play.
asserted
who → happen → play
A batted ball that strikes either of the lower two catwalks is a home rune, per stadium ground rules.
asserted
that → bat → rules
A batted ball that hits either of the two upper catwalks is in play.
asserted
that → bat → play
“It’s very much a different place,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said.
asserted
Murphy → ’ → ?
“It seems like a great place, and you have to make adjustments to it.
asserted
you → seem → it
That’s part of being a big leaguer.
asserted
That → ’ → ?
You have to make adjustments to it.”
asserted
You → have → it
The Trop is also the only ballpark in the majors where fans can touch stingrays.
asserted
fans → touch → stingrays
Seven cownose stingrays who weathered Hurricane Milton returned to the stadium for opening day inside the “Cownose Clubhouse,” a 10,000-gallon touch tank experience located just beyond the right-center-field fence.
asserted
who → weather → fence
I didn’t know that,” Brewers reliever Aaron Ashby said.
asserted
Ashby → know → that
Second baseman Brice Turang asked if the stingrays can be touched.
asserted
stingrays → ask → ?
“That’s really cool,” he said.
asserted
he → ’ → ?
If Milwaukee wins two of the next three, Turang and Ashby could pose for photos with the stingrays and the World Series trophy.
uncertain
Turang → win → stingrays
The Aporia
