One of the newer teams in Major League Baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays have still found some success in its short history. The Rays, who began play in 1998, may not have as much of a storied past like their AL East rivals, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, but the franchise has had its share of star players, many who have found continued success outside of the Rays organization.
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Rays History
The Rays spent the first decade of its existence as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, with a manta ray mascot, but dropped the “Devil” from its name in 2008 and became the Tampa Bay Rays, with their logo becoming a ray of sunshine. Since its birth, the Rays have called Tropicana Field their home turf, one of the most notable indoor stadiums in Major League Baseball, being the only domed stadium with a non-retractable roof, making it the only MLB venue that plays baseball indoors year-round. The stadium has also received its share of criticism for the catwalks supporting the domed ceiling, with special rules being applied to what happens when a ball hit in play hits a certain part of the catwalks. Another attraction at the Trop is the Rays Touch Tank, where fans get to get up close and personal with different species of Rays on display.
Pennants
Despite having only been in existence for just a few decades, the Rays had had some postseason success, with a World Series appearance in 2008, when the Rays lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 4-1. That year also marked the first time the Rays had made the postseason, having won their first East Division title and first and only AL Pennant. The Rays have since made it back to the postseason three more times in 2010, 2011 and 2013, the last of which came after beating the Texas Rangers in a tie-breaker game for the final Wild Card spot and then sending the Cleveland Indians home in the AL Wild Card game.
Hall of Famers
To date, only two members of the Rays organization have had their numbers retired by the club: Wade Boggs, who played his final two seasons in Tampa Bay in 1998 and 1999 and is credited for hitting the franchise’s first home run, and Don Zimmer, who served as a coach and senior advisor for the Rays from 2004 to 2014, when he died.
Other players have made big contributions to the Rays organization and have continued to find success elsewhere in the big leagues, including pitchers David Price and James Shield, infielders Carlos Pena, Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria, and outfields Carl Crawford and BJ Upton. More recently, Rays pitcher Blake Snell took home the AL Cy Young Award in 2018, and the Rays have been given credit as revolutionizing the pitching rotation in the major leagues by carrying a rotation of just three starting pitchers and relying on a stacked bullpen, led by a pitcher called an “opener,” instead of a starter, who normally is expected to pitch deep into games.
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